This “Meaning of American” piece is by NCoC.net guest contributor is Josh Fryday, Lieutenant and Judge Advocate General (JAG) in the United States Navy. He wrote the following letter to his infant son.
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Dear Shay,

You are lucky to be an American citizen. Because of this simple status, you will have privilege and opportunity much of the world will never experience. Always be proud of your citizenship and heritage. But know your great advantages do not come without important duties, obligations and responsibilities to your country, the world, and future generations. Here is what I can tell you about what it means to be an American.


I. Duties

As an American, you have four basic duties:

1) You have a duty to participate in the political process. Many have sacrificed, suffered, fought and died for you to have the right to self-govern and direct the destiny of you and your people. Honor their sacrifice and ensure the health of our government by exercising your political rights to the fullest. If you choose not to participate, you leave governing to someone else and you abdicate your responsibility as a citizen. Speak when you can. Assemble when you must. Vote always.

2) You have a duty to pay taxes and ensure society continues to operate and work to the benefit of all.

3) You have a duty to participate on a jury when your time comes.

4) You have a duty to serve. There are many ways to serve your country, and you are fortunate enough to live in a society where you are able to choose how to do so. Your freedoms and great privileges will be guaranteed only by your willingness to sacrifice for them. How you serve does not matter. That you serve means everything.


II. Ideals

In addition to these basic duties, being an American also means subscribing to certain ideals, and doing your part to uphold them. Among these ideals include the belief that all men and women are created equal; that we all deserve the same opportunity, no matter our race, gender, religion, sexual preference or background, to fulfill our personal potential and pursue our own happiness. We also strive for the ideal that in our political system, every citizen’s voice is equal.

III. Rights

Being an American means you are entitled to certain fundamental political rights. These rights your society has established for you over time, and are protected by the law. Study your Bill of Rights and Constitution. Enjoy and celebrate these rights. You are supposed to. But remember that they were secured by men, and can just as easily be taken away by men. If a fellow American’s rights are being violated anywhere, then so too are yours in jeopardy.

IV. Values

Here are the values I believe made America the country you can be proud of. We have not always lived up to them, often falling far short. And you will pay the price of our shortcomings. Nonetheless, these are the values generations before you have striven for, and I expect you to promote, protect and expand upon.

Protect the Future

Our whole system was premised on this ideal. The Preamble to the Constitution reminds us that our government was given to us to protect the “blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” Be responsible to those that come after you. Protect this legacy and lead a sustainable life that leaves a better country and planet to your kids. To do this you cannot be greedy. You must protect the environment, and ensure political rights and social benefits that have been granted to you are passed on to your children and grandchildren. You must be as watchful and protective of the liberties and benefits this planet and country offers future generations, as you are of your own.

Understand True Self-Interest

Always be a unique individual and pursue your own passions, destiny and happiness. But recognize that your individual health, security, well-being and prosperity are directly linked to that of the community around you. If your community and nation are sick, unsafe, economically and morally depressed, etc. you will not, in the long run, find the success, balance, and comfort you seek for yourself and your family. Your immediate gratification, if to the detriment of, or indifference to, the environment and people around you, is not in fact in your true self-interest at all. Opting for short-term selfish interests, while easy, will not serve your true long term self-interest, and it will lead you, and your country, astray.

Value Education

Educate yourself, and deeply value public education. It has always been our competitive advantage as a people, and it is vital to the health of our social and political system. Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Ensuring both you and all your fellow citizens are sufficiently educated and knowledgeable about history, science, math, literature and the matters of the world is necessary to protect the freedoms we cherish.

Honor and Study the Founders

Study the founding fathers, and the philosophers that influenced them. You cannot know what it means to be an American without first doing so. Many will use founders’ names to promote their personal vision of America. Understand for yourself what the founders actually believed, what they argued, debated, and fought for. Understand what they feared about government, what they sought to protect, and what they expected from you as their citizen-heir. Understand their failings, their disgraceful bigotries and arrogance, as much as their enlightenment, progressivism and accomplishments. Know your roots well son, so you appreciate the responsibility you have to maintain their strengths, and reform their weaknesses. The founders were not gods. They were men seeking a better society, and they left you a blueprint that has largely worked for two hundred years but has undergone much needed evolution, and will continue to require revision and adaptation.

Be Grateful and Humble

You have great privilege and opportunity to fulfill your personal potential, whatever it may be, simply because you were born an American. Be grateful for what you have, and know that you have it because of those who came before you. Be willing to both serve the country that will give you this opportunity, and serve others who are not as fortunate as you. When arrogant, Americans have caused great suffering. When humble, we have served a great many at home and abroad.

Strive for Greatness

The opportunity to be great, in whatever you pursue, is America. It is the greatest advantage you have. It is what our nation has always striven for, even when we have fallen short. So be great. Take advantage of it, always conscious of your own footprint on the world and obligations to take care of your community and environment.

Conclusion

Son, you are lucky to be an American. American citizenship is a great gift you have been given. Enjoy it. But never take it for granted. You must do your part to ensure the rights, ideals, and aspects of American society you come to value and cherish on your own are always upheld. If you do, you will know what it means to be an American.

Good luck, son; your country is counting on you.

Love,

Dad

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