The Land of Opportunity
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
~Emma Lazarus
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue to become one of the earliest explorers to come to the North American continent and take word back to the rest of Europe of this mysterious land. Even though Leif Erikson was here 500 years before Columbus, it was his sailing in the name of the Queen of Spain that allowed the news of his journey to spread the way it did. With word of a land rich with opportunity explorers from all over Europe began to explore and exploit the vast wealth of the Americas as each European power raced to establish claim to these lands new to the old world. From the humble beginnings as settlements to growing colonies which finally bonded together to form a new nation called the United States, this region of the world has always drawn industrious people with the hopes of starting anew in this land of opportunity. These United States of American are built upon the toil and efforts of the early Europeans who immigrated to this continent with hope in their heart for a better future.
The History of the United States is steeped in waves of immigration from various countries from all over the world. Each wave immigration brought with it new fears to those who had already come but it also brought new talents that have allowed our country to shine like no other in the world. We all come from somewhere else. Some of us have been here longer than others but at the end of the day, unless you are 100% native American, your ancestors have come from some other part of the planet. The number of people immigrating to the United States was such that even the other nations of the world recognized this when France gave us the copper colossus which stands in the harbor of New York titled, “The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World". The Statue of Liberty is a symbol that yells out to the world those famous words written by Emma Lazarus inviting those who are oppressed and downtrodden, come and we will give you respite…come and we will give you hope…come and we will give you a place of freedom to raise your family. This is what makes America great. America is a land where a person can live in freedom to grow as much as they want and do whatever they set their heart out to do as long as they work hard enough to earn it. That is the light that has drawn millions upon millions of people from all over the globe to this great land, this land of opportunity. Opportunity for better jobs, opportunity for better living conditions, opportunity for better education, an opportunity for a better life. The United States is known throughout the world as the great melting pot as immigrants of the world come together.
Throughout our history our government has thrown up road blocks as to be prejudice against one people or another be they of Irish, Italian, German, Japanese or Chinese background. Those blockages have always been torn down by those who relied on cool heads and didn’t fall prey to the unfounded fears spread by those who harbored hate deep within their heart. Fear brings about behavior that is despicable and despised by civilized society. To judge an entire people by the behavior of a few is as ignorant as summarily dismissing the elephant in the room by just saying that it just doesn’t exist. Immigration of various peoples of the world to this country make it stronger through diversity, not weaker. Prejudice and fear are born out of lack of understanding and a lack of love for our fellow humanity. My father was an immigrant who came to this country over 60 years go to escape religious persecution and to further his education, I imagine similar stories can be found by all of us if we traced back our ancestry to the first person who braved the unknown to immigrate to America. Thanks for reading, as we move forward this week, ponder how you plan to live…with fear or with humanity.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com