Word Expressing American Creed

The American Creed; the core values of the United States of America represented by (the)

Ability to argue, amend, and achieve

Memorials and monuments

Equal opportunity within the economy, society, and government

Respect for the flag and its red, white, and blue

Independence and improvements inspired by individual interpretation

Constantly upheld Constitution with civil rights and liberties

Admiration to the pledge of allegiance, national anthem, and amendments

Nationalism

Constant and continuous civic engagement

Reliability and responsibility to uphold rights and remain resilient

Elections

Economic opportunity to prosper

Diversity

The broad words opportunity, admiration, and rights/liberties express the American Creed because they define the core values of America as they represent what our ancestors fought for.

     The Opportunity to argue helps lead to amendments that allow equal ability and treatment under the law so all citizens can achieve. The ability of Americans to create change for equality is seen in the Civil War era and its reconstruction period. Citizens were allowed to argue against slavery, which led to the Civil War. The civil war led to the reconstruction period, which further helped to establish equality under the law. For example, the government passed three amendments issuing further equality for previously oppressed and enslaved African Americans. The 13th Amendment ended slavery. The 14th gave citizenship to all those born in the US and granted them equal protection under the law. The 15th gave African American men the right to vote. The equal protection clause in the 14th Amendment truly represents the ability to argue and how it leads to equal opportunity to achieve as it was used as a baseline argument in many influential Supreme Court cases like Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. This case was a landmark decision stating that segregation was not equal and was unconstitutional, which changed education standards. After the decision, all children could attend any school granting equal education, which created an equal ability to achieve. Furthermore, the ability to argue led to the ability to amend for equal opportunities to succeed in the women’s suffrage movement. Women fought tirelessly for their right to vote and eventually succeeded with the passage of the 19th Amendment. Later, the government passed the 24th Amendment to eliminate poll taxes, so everyone could have an equal opportunity to vote. While, at the time, these amendments might have seen some opposition, today they are sometimes taken for granted as they seem like a no-brainer. Voting and equality are a great deal in American society because they are necessary for a republic to function. Thus, they are necessary for America to maintain its successful republic status. Not only is the American creed expressed through the word opportunity, but it is also expressed through the word admiration.

       Americans value admiration because they are often grateful for the rights they possess today. Memorials and monuments are popular attractions for honor and remembrance as they reminisce for those who fought to allow our country to get where it is today. These are especially popular on national holidays like Memorial Day, where many take the time to get together and appreciate those for their fighting efforts. Americans also express their admiration through civic engagement. Whether volunteering to help clean up their city or participating in an activism group to promote a better future, Americans express their American creed by striving to improve their country so they and others can have pride in where they reside. In addition, admiration is expressed within the government through the Supreme Court's duty and dedication to uphold the Constitution and through Americans' support of national songs or poems like the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. When attending sporting events, before play starts, someone will likely sing the national anthem, and during this time, almost everyone able to participate will stand up, take off their hats, and honor their flag. This represents the American creed because Americans are willing to honor and support founding documents and songs to pay the highest respect possible to their country and its history. In addition to admiration, the American Creed is represented by the guaranteed idea of civil rights and liberties.

     Civil rights and liberties represent the American creed because they represent the foundations on which America stands. After winning independence, the first leading document, the Articles of Confederation, failed. To keep America functioning, our founding fathers drafted the Constitution. Some opposed the document because they believed it did not protect their rights. To resolve this issue, the founders created the Bill of Rights and the amendment process to allow all Americans to have protected rights. The Bill of Rights is still consistently interpreted to this day representing another core ideal of individualism and interpretation. Individualism and interpretation allow Americans to be themselves and interrupt society the way they choose to intercept it. This shows our nation's aspirations as it allows everyone to be their individual, with their own interpretations and protected rights, so they can succeed and push the rest of America to success.