Before amusement park openings and sporting events, The Star Spangled Banner blares out of the speakers and the citizens of the United States stand at attention. At least, that is what many were taught to do. But in the recent weeks, many have rebelled and have since sat or kneeled until the anthem was over. As we take a closer look, the National Anthem is more interesting than many may think.
According to the National Museum of American History, in the official lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner, in the first verse on the last line it reads, “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” It is clear that this country prides itself on the freedom and bravery of the citizens here; yet it is falling below the bar as far as fulfilling what its citizens attentively stand for.
The most interesting thing about this stanza is the punctuation choices. There is a question mark at the end of the first verse. This can mean one of two things. It can mean that the writer of the Star Spangled Banner, Mr. Francis Scott Key, may have genuinely been asking a question. In the first line it does ask, “O say, can you see?” He could be glorifying the hard fought fight America has overcame to break free from British rule. He could be asking if we can see that this is the land of the free and the home of the brave. In which, the answer is ‘No’. Or, he could be asking is this the land of the free and the home of the brave. Which in this sense, the answer is ‘No’ again.
In an interview early September, Mark Clague, the founding board chairman of the Star Spangled Music Foundation when asked what is the most important part of the anthem, stated, “For me, it’s the punctuation that ends the part we sing. After “land of the free,” we have a question mark, not an exclamation point. Is the flag and what it represents still there?” Clague goes on to say, “Are we winning the battle for freedom that this country was founded on? … If there are people who don’t feel the song represents them, we need to pay attention to that.” But if we just reject the song as racist, or declare that it isn’t our anthem anymore, we don’t fix the problem.
America tends to forget just exactly what their country stands for. “Liberty and justice for all.” That sounds like a beautiful tune to someone from another country, who may not be promised such things. However, when a citizen of the United States calls the country out on its failing promise, they are instantly deemed unappreciative, inconsiderate, and disrespectful.
The founding fathers of the United States of America created a constitution that ensures that no one can be treated differently. Specifically, in Amendment 14, it states that “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” This is what Kaepernick emphasized. The law and its enforcers are not holding up its end of the bargain.
It is inconsiderate to blame each party because of the next, when in all reality, America is not what it used to be. America used to promise freedoms by law to each one of its citizens in hopes of creating a happy, healthy, and strong country. However, amendments are not being followed, laws are being broken by the enforcers, and lives are being lost because of it. America has lost its value throughout the years yet many want to forget that fact so bad that it is blinding their rightful judgement.
Moreover, America is not one hundred percent supportive of its veterans. According to USA Today, in 2014 the senate rejected a bill on veterans benefits. The bill intended to expand education, healthcare and many other benefits. According to USA Today, Many republicans argued that it is too much money “coming from billions of dollars the government projected it would be allowed to spend on wars overseas in the fight against al-Qaeda.” For a country that prides its freedom and its freedom fighters, their actions say otherwise.
So it is time to really sit back and think, is this really the land of the free and home of the brave? Maybe, its time to really read what is set in stone and cross reference with the actions happening today.
