To the Editor:
From Paul Revere’s midnight ride and the signing of the Declaration of Independence to Abraham Lincoln’s fighting for the Emancipation Proclamation and the battlefields where American soldiers have died in defense of other people’s freedoms, our country has held true to the principle that everyone has the right to a life free of injustice. More than anything else we stand for, this freedom is the American dream and is recognized as such around the world.
We have struggled with ourselves to protect this dream; in fact, our country’s history can be seen as an ongoing internal battle against intolerance, greed, hatred, and bigotry. Our progress has not been smooth and gradual – or even continuous – but with giant steps forward, homeostasis punctuated by volcanic changes. In 1870 a major triumph – the 15th Amendment – extended voting rights to men of all race and color, but not to women. It took us another 50 years to take that step. And despite the 15th Amendment, the battle to vote regardless of race or color wasn’t assured until passage of the National Voting Rights Act of 1965. Even now, women do not get equal pay for equal work.
We have fought hard to hang on to our dream. Americans have shed tears, lost lives, and suffered to bring about these changes.
Next Tuesday we have the chance to step forward again. People of every political stripe share an almost palpable national excitement, even angst, as the nation undergoes something akin to birthing pains. Regardless of political party, we should be proud and mark the moment when we elect our first black President. It is a milestone in our journey to be the country we aspire to and a reminder to our friends – and our enemies – abroad why we are such a great country.
Joel Horn
I feel it. One day left.