Symbols and Rituals expressing the American Creed

Throughout American history, Americans have fought to uphold core values and essential rights, to guarantee life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are fighting for them in many different shapes and forms, from the crossing of the Delaware River to our fight to ensure freedom and peace in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our core common values unite us allowing us to prosper, having a GDP(Gross Domestic Product) of 25.44 trillion dollars, and an average median income of $76,770 being 7th in the world for average income. Symbols such as the American flag and rituals such as the Fourth of July, allow us as Americans to come together to reflect on our core values of patriotism, and freedom, reflecting that of an American creed and our accomplishments as a nation.

Symbols allow Americans to reflect on our common core values uniting America. One example of this is the American flag. Our flag is a symbol of hope to many, symbolizing what America stands for, liberty, equality, and justice. The flag symbolizes a land where there is near limitless freedom, allowing for freedom of speech and essential human rights. Another example of how symbols allow Americans to reflect on the American creed and our values is the Statue of Liberty. It welcomed many of our ancestors to America, becoming a shining beacon of freedom, for many refugees and immigrants heading to Elise Island. It represents many of our forefather's hopes and dreams of living in a just society where everyone has a voice that the government cannot repress. Symbols of the American creed, help close the divide between us, as many of us reflect on our pasts, knowing that the United States was built on the backs of our forefathers.

Common rituals between us further unite us under our common values, of patiotism and freedom. One example of this is the Fourth of July, where we commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this allows us to remember the sacrifices made by the founding fathers and ancestors in order to ensure our freedom against tyranny. The Fourth of July, not only represents the sacrifices of our forefathers but also strikes patriotic fervor in our hearts, it makes us remember who we are as a nation, allowing us to think of the future and ways of improving our nation. It also gives us time to come together as a community to reflect on our core values, strengthening our bond with each other uniting us in a common goal to further our ideals and core values. Another example of this is Memorial Day, where we honor the sacrifices of the brave men and women who had their lives taken in the fight for freedom, and ultimately America itself. As we honor our fallen countrymen Americans from all walks of life come together to unite in honoring our fallen veterans, who fought to uphold the common values we all respect. To conclude, symbols and rituals allow us to unite under our common values and our American creed.