America a poem by econblues2011.tumblr.com

8/3/2019 America a poem by econblues2011.tumblr.com

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America - photo from some online search by bing

text as follows by world blues 2011

If I were asked, what 1 symbol best summarizes up America to me,

from a historical philosophical slant, aside from the pride of being anAmerican, born free, like all humanity should be, the image of the

Liberty Bell comes to mind.

The Liberty Bell, rang forth on our independence declarations, andshortly afterwards, cracked. It has remained cracked ever since. To

me, the bell symbolizes the promise inherent to all of us in our bill ofrights and our constitution. It is a bold experiment, this freedom and

democracy we have. And yet, over 200 years ago, when this nation

was founded, it was a foundation and an idea that ws born with abroken shell, a cracked bell, if you will. For the Union was born, with

two opposite views, towards the morality of slavery. When America

was born, even though "We hold these certain inaleinable rights to beself evident, that all men are created equal," what it did not say, wasthe little asterisks at the end of the line - you know, how a "man" was

defined - back in those days, one whom owned property, or were

"free". And this was a nation that less than 100 years after its birth,

went to war, divided about the issue of owning other people, and usingthem as indentured servants - slavery. The crack in the bell, began to

slowly heal, but still there, very long.

It took another 50 years after the union was restored to offer women'ssuffrage - the right to vote to women - those whom interpret words

saw the word "men" created equal, did not see the words "women"

and so did not give them rights do all humanity. It was not until

around the first world war that women here were constitutionallygranted the right to vote..... but they did, and the crack, in my mind,

healed some more, yet it is still there.

It took yet another 2 to 3 generations for the next phase in thedevelopment of America to take place. As if the concept of "separatebut equal", equal in name only, had any constitutional basis in reality

whatsoever. People being people actually thought just if you hadcolor, you could not sit next to them, or use the same toilet to

defficate and urinate in, or to go to school together. It took the works

of a non violent movement, led by many, including a young Baptist

8/3/2019 America a poem by econblues2011.tumblr.com

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minister, to take it to the streets, to bring to the mass American mind,the injustice of inequality, the unconstitutionality, and the affront such

conceptions were to the American ideals. Yet, in the 60s, the civilrights movement made much progress, and in my mind, the crack in

the liberty bell healed even more.

Today, i still see a crack in that bell. Each time I hear of some bigotry

about folks coming across a border, whom might look different, or talkdifferently than those whom themselves were not there decades ago.

Each time i hear of intolerance towards those with views other than

their own, or wear clothes that look different, or kiss someone other

than we think they should, or refuse to support a war that has killedthousands of civilians, i see the crack widening. I hear it in ourpolitics, i hear it on our tv or news, and i hear it in our streets as the

cackle of gun violence erupts, while we simply roll over and go back tosleep. I even read it in my student's journals, the anger, the lack of

understanding, the lack of tolerance, some, not all, but some have, foranyone whom was not here when they were born. With eachdepressing thing i hear on the news, see on tv, read on a blog, my

eyes well up, and i think of the liberty bell, and i cry. I see the crack

in the bell, and Amy Pond and the Doctor are not here to heal it. Onlywe can do so, ourselves, each one of us. Be educated about the world

and those around us. Live to improve this great nation, and not tear it

down. Our political, social, economic problems may bring us down,

yet, we need to rise above these issues, and look elsewhere, wherepeople have yet to shake off the chains of oppressive regimes, whoselegitimacy in government ended the moment they kept all rights to

themselves.

America is a nation in progress. Ever since our birth, we had great

ideas and asprirations, yet the reality was far from what we held as

dear. yet over the past 200+ years, we have healed many wounds

that hurt us, sealed those cracks, and the work continues to do so,each day, with each of us, in our hearts, to live up to the dream of

America - freedom, and equality, for all. Let us not crack the bell anyfurther, but let us work to recast it anew whole. - word up, world

blues 2011