America is on trial. Her enemies charge that she is inherently exploitative, racist and unjust. That’s why protesters leveled a statue of George Washington in Portland, Ore., last week. Not because he was a slave owner, but because Washington stands as a symbol of America. Well, are these fascist mob-ists right? Is America inherently evil? Is America inherently anything? What is America?

Is America a place? Not exactly. In 1800, America did not extend beyond the Mississippi. By 1959, America could be found in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. America is not constrained by mankind’s crude borders.

Is America a people? Certainly, no. Americans come from all over the world. Racists and racial supremacists would like you to think otherwise, but America has never been defined by one people. Nor will it. But if America is neither a place nor a people, then what is it?

America is an idea, born July 4, 1776, with a thunderous declaration, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

This is America. This founding principle fully encapsulates what America truly is. Her people might not fully realize it, but every day they work closer toward it. To inscribe these words on your heart is to be an American. To defend them is to be a patriot. To oppose them is to stand for tyranny and oppression.

Which of these was Washington, then?

ROB WARREN
Braddock

First Published: June 30, 2020, 4:00 a.m.