Opinion: E Pluribus Unum — the true meaning of ‘America First’

It’s that time of year — fireworks, food and friends, with patriotic events celebrating the founding of our country and the great state of Utah. In many ways, it’s the most wonderful time of year — no pressure for presents while we have fun in the sun, enjoy long daylight hours for outdoor activities and countless opportunities to kick back and relax.

I recently attended several summer concerts which, appropriately, ended with “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” a Sousa band classic and America’s official march. The brass melody was strong, the cymbals crashed and the piccolos did their duty — standing, as is customary. And the crowd? We all clapped along and cheered, of course!

Smiling as I watched and clapped, I noted that the joy expressed was universal. No question of party affiliation. No loyalty or purity tests. Just simple joy in American music celebrating America as a nation.

Memory took me back to childhood road trips to visit family in Utah — we were a military family, after all — and the cassette tapes we listened to over and over again. I learned all the service hymns by heart, as well as American classics like “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” Sousa‘s original lyrics never really caught on, but since the tune was so popular, others wrote their own ditties. Charles Burr wrote new lyrics that are still sung today:

Three cheers for the red, white and blue,

For the red is the blood of our brothers.

The white is the light of the star

That has led us to where we are.

The blue is the hue of the sky

Where on high the Almighty falters never.

Our banner for two hundred years!

Oh pioneers! Here’s to the stars and stripes forever!

It’s fitting that this classic American tune celebrates both the American flag and the pioneers who built this great nation and state. The colors and symbols in our flag have deep meaning to me as an American soldier, and as I pondered the words, another pattern occurred to me: the group of three. Three colors. Three symbols. That really got me thinking. We live in a three-dimensional world. The triangle is the strongest geometric shape that exists. There are three branches in our government, and the Constitution enshrines three levels of agency with power — the federal government, the state government and the people. We also have three major blocks of voters — two major political parties claim the colors red and blue, and I suspect many unaffiliated voters might claim white as a symbol of political neutrality.

The triangle is strong because it has three sides and three points connecting them. When weight-bearing loads are applied, the three sides work together to bear the load through a combination of compression and tension. Like our forefathers who stood up against British tyranny, fought fascism across the globe in World War II and stared down the communist threat during the Cold War, we have always been at our best when we’re united as Americans, even if we are not all the same. There is no American flag without the red, white AND blue. There is no flag without the white stars, blue field, AND 13 red and white stripes.

We do not all have the same lived experience, and we may not agree on all the details, but we do agree on the most important things: our founding documents, our individual rights, and freedoms and the opportunities this great land provides. This is what unites us as Americans.

Whether we be band nerds or orchestra geeks, jocks or cowboys, Black or white, rich or poor, religious or not, male or female, old or young, gay or straight, native or newcomer, we are all part of the American tapestry. E Pluribus Unum, our first national motto, translates to “Out of many, one.” Indeed, we are one nation and a pretty great one at that, in spite of our differences. I would argue our differences are the source of our greatness, as our differences act as a continuous spark for American innovation and leadership.

If we can remember that, we are truly Americans first.

Deborah Gatrell is a social studies teacher in Granite School district, a veteran and a candidate for Utah State Board of Education, District 10. Her opinions are her own.