Of Thee I Sing
Celebrating Our Nation's 248th Birthday
My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing….
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
I learned that song in the 3rd grade and like most things that get reinforced year after year, I never forgot it. I have been the product of what E.D. Hirsh would say was an education that valued that we are part of something larger than ourselves, something that joins us to a community. That education did not come entirely from school. It came from being around people who valued what this country provides, and who made it their business to ensure that I understood that, too.
It’s what makes me a patriot, through and through.
Hirsh’s “farewell” book, How to Educate a Citizen,The Power of Shared Knowledge to Unify a Nation, explains the nature of patriotism and citizenship well and is worth pondering on this Independence Day holiday.
“You and I do not belong to different tribes,” he argues, and “that’s where the patriotic songs come in. All the early thinkers about the schools in the United States felt that everybody should know about the ideals of freedom and toleration because it was felt that you could build a nation on those new Enlightenment ideas.
“We share these songs, these hymns, so to speak.”
Many believe there is little to sing about, that we have so little in common.
I disagree. It is precisely because we are free that we have so much to sing about. That is our commonality. As the 96 years-young scholar and self-described leftist Hirsch says,
“It is …a peaceable and happy arrangement if the education of the young is wise and effective, and is, in these days also international and peaceable. For schooling to achieve that kind of beneficent result, adults are obliged to hand down the tribe’s language and customs, so that the child benefits from their historically gained wisdom.” (From the chapter, Patriotism: Shared Knowledge and Kindness).
Let us pledge our time and attention to ensuring everyone has the honor of learning what it’s all about.
I hope you’ll join me this week in saluting this nation, and especially those who have pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to give us the privilege of living in the United States of America.
In two years, we will mark the Semiquincentennial, America’s 250th. Join the build up and celebrations, starting here.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy, Healthy and Meaningful Independence Day!
All the best - Jeanne