To many, the American Dream is still alive as the US is always viewed as the land of equality — even if it didn’t begin that way as only whites with property had early say and the vote for nearly a century from 1776 and slavery was not abolished till 1865 — and of opportunity though it is said that Americans have grown less proud of their history and the way its democracy has been seen to work, especially most recently
America will celebrate this weekend the passage of 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 delegates to the Continental Congress. Since that momentous day in world history after which people mostly from across the Atlantic Ocean surged to the new land, attracted by its freedom and the hope of leaving the European class system behind, the US has grown into the world’s biggest economic power with the mightiest armed forces.
To many, the American Dream is still alive as the US is always viewed as the land of equality — even if it didn’t begin that way as only whites with property had early say and the vote for nearly a century from 1776 and slavery was not abolished till 1865 — and of opportunity though it is said that Americans have grown less proud of their history and the way its democracy has been seen to work, especially most recently.
President Harry Truman reportedly left the White House without any income other than monthly army pension of $113 while the current resident of the White House made at least $2.2 billion in his first year back as President, $1.4 bn of that in the cryptocurrency industry. But personal aggrandisement is not the only thing being held against him as several mighty institutions that graced the history of American independence have been compromised by a noticeably erratic wielding of presidential power.
The history of commitment to equality, fraternity and the pursuit of happiness is too grand over two and a half centuries to be spoiled by a two-term President. And yet Donald Trump may have taken the most imprudent decision in his career to declare war on Iran at the behest of Israel and is still paying the price for it as he scrambles to make a meaningful peace deal. His anti-immigration policies are also a denial of the history of the contribution of migrants to the might of America.
Truth to tell, there is a lot more to the US than military wins and defeats though life now seems to suffer from a toxic polarisation thanks to the divisiveness of politics and the endless capacity of the social media and cable news to thrive on outrage. It may not have helped that while the rich are getting richer in free enterprise and trade, political leaders who appear to prosper more are promoting anxiety and divisions in the public
Even so, America is one of a handful of nations taking the lead in artificial intelligence today that might define how the future evolves. Where it may have lost ground under Mr Trump is that it has shed all the shine it used to have as avowedly the leader of the free world. So much has he done to alienate US's closest allies nearest to home in Canada and Mexico as well as in Europe.
If optimism still prevails in America, it is because of the basic goodness of people which is more than amplified in the way in which the sporting spectacle of the World Cup has seen people spontaneously respond to sportsmen and visitors from all corners of the world, including Iran, with enthusiasm.
Empathetic scenes of shared humanity invest all the world with the thought that life is worth living after all and the American people are the heroes in this, including those who came to the US in search of life, like the Indian Americans who have done very well for themselves and those who were set free only by the democratic zeal of Abraham Lincoln. It is true that America, in all its history, has been kinder to its people than its politics.
