In this, our values describe America’s beliefs and what is most important to American citizens.
Our values are not isolated or individual; but intertwined with each other like a warm patchwork quilt: There are many values of exceptional importance to Americans.
There
are 12 Core Values that identify who we are as a country. Citizenship,
Faith, Life, Freedom, Family and Home, Decency, Knowledge, Education,
National Pride, Allegiance, Safety and Security, The American Dream
To understand our core values, you must know our history.
It
all started on August 3, 1492, when Christopher Columbus, an Italian
explorer and his crew set sail from Spain in three ships: the Niña,
Pinta and the Santa Maria.
A few years later, an Italian explorer
named Amerigo Vespucci, announced that the new land Columbus discovered
were part of a separate continent.
In 1507, a map created by
Martin Waldseemüller depicted this new continent with the name
"America," a Latinized version of "Amerigo."
That marked
centuries of transatlantic colonization. It was the age of mercantilism,
a competitive economic environment that pushed European nations to
acquire as many colonies as they could.
Colonies were business
ventures. Countries generally selected their own citizens who were not
part of elite society. After all, their colonies were money-making
ventures. Not citizen settlements. Colonies provided an outlet to enrich
the parent country.
In the 1600s, England sent British citizens to the “new world” to establish colonies.
Long story short, the colonists broke from England’s harsh rule in 1776.
Men
like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin put forth the
Declaration of Independence that lists their reasons and undeniably
asserts our freedoms.
The British sent troops. The colonists fought back and won the American Revolution and ratified our U.S. Constitution.
Those
who sacrificed so much are known as America’s “First Veterans,” Our
U.S. Constitution recognizes our “First Citizens” of our Constitutional
Republic. ///