The Future of The American Creed

We live in a nation that was infected with the struggles of diversity and poverty. This made many generations of children have a hard time succeeding and achieving their life goals. Will this go on forever and ruin many other children's dreams? The future is up to the people who are going to grow up and build it, so I believe in helping out that future to succeed, and to better this nation. Exemplary figures such as Condoleezza Rice, Joe Maddon , and Deidre Prevette show that the understanding of the American Creed is to help make the future a better place for the next generation.

This way of thinking of the American creed was exemplified long ago when Condoleezza Rice’s Grandfather stepped up and created the pathway for many others to reach success. Her Grandfather believed if anyone had the right to education, as he did, anyone's life could change. A line that Condoleezza mentions in the film “American Creed" that she got from her Grandfather is, “You can be and do anything you want, you just can’t leave others behind,” which signifies that success shouldn’t be only kept for you but should be available to everyone. The example of Granddaddy Rice’s education career where it began when he learned to read from his mother who was enslaved. He also traded cotton to pay for one year at Stillman College. To pay for his second year of college he earned a scholarship in exchange for him becoming a Presbyterian minister. He then spent his life opening churches and schools throughout the southern states. Education changed everything not only for him but for many Black American families.The rest of the doors filled with opportunities should be opened for everyone to achieve as it can change their lives just like Condoleezza Rice’s family and the many others that followed. This is a step to a better future where no one would be deprived from the success they have awaiting for them, just because of the availability of resources many people don’t have. That is why “ No one should be left behind” as Rice’s Grandfather said, to make this dream available for the upcoming generations.

The topic of diversity is one that has gone on forever. Joe Maddon made a good statement when he said, “The same people who disagree with Hispanics are the same people whose grandparents dealt with the same discrimination.” This signifies how although some people differentiate themselves from another type of group of people, we all have similar experiences that connect us to each other and make us similar to each other. Joe Maddon, for example, used the usage of sporting events as a way to put down the barriers between people and bring cultures together since many people love sports. Activities and events such as these help build a trust in the community and puts a foot forward for all of us to integrate into American society. Another reason for this is that Maddon had an experience with his family’s history dealing with hardworking jobs. His Dad wanted him to have a better life than himself, which then led to Joe Maddon becoming the manager of the Chicago Cubs. Therefore, Maddon made it his mission to make life easier and better for the future generations just like his dad accomplished. As Maddon said, “We want to create a situation where the kids come together,” which can lead to better experiences of the world for the future generations. A world not bothered by diversity and differences between each other but a world where life can be easier for the future.

To finalize, Deidre Prevett also connects with being an educator and having family members who were educators as well. She was fortunate enough to have her Native land not be removed from her family and was gifted with oil that they discovered in their land. This allowed her family to be able to pay for 5 generations to continue to educate. Deidre Prevett goes on to mention that she is living her American dream as an educator helping students continue their education. She says that this is a way of “paying it forward.” Like her family was lucky enough to experience wealth and have a sustainable life , she wants to spread that hope to her students and give them the education they need to strive in life the same way. She dedicates herself to help her students as much as possible in school as she also believes “education is the key to success and to better yourself.” Prevett is living her American dream as an educator as she knows she can give the steps of a good life for them the same way she received.

The idea of the American creed as shown by these 3 figures is that helping out the next generation of children to succeed and better themselves will not only benefit them but the future of this nation. Exemplified by the actions and steps shown by them we can create unity and success for all.