Goldberg: We should be united, not untied

Imagine if one little typo could tear our country apart! We absolutely do not want that to happen. “United” and not “untied” is what our country is all about.

Imagine that we got this wonderful unification in a document called The Declaration of Independence, that was drafted June 1776 by Thomas Jefferson. It was then edited by a committee of five. Later it was approved and signed by 56 statesmen from the original 13 colonies, and we now call these men our “Founding Fathers.”

Here are the original colonies that gave us our wonderful beginning — New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia; and these are the four dedicated men who joined Thomas Jefferson to finalize its contents — John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston. It was this Declaration that started the growth and development of our Nation, the United States of America.

Here is now a patriotic poem to reflect on their “united” commitment and a fun way to share it with children — From Declaration to Our Nation:

Each one became a numbered state. From one they got to 48. In time there came with not much fuss; Alaska and Hawaii here with us. 50 now is what we have; a country that just grew. Every state’s united now, with red and white and blue. We work together, not apart. That is what we do. The USA is our own land. For all and not a few.

May no typo or division prevent us from enjoying the “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” given to us in that document! Working together, and not apart, creates unity. As we hear the rhetoric this month, remember that the word “united” underlies it all.

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.