American Creed

To be American is to break with the idea that you are a prisoner of your circumstances, and I think to be American is also to accept that it's not just about you. You really do need to care about the collective enterprise too. Students around the country are discussing the PBS film American Creed, with curricular support from Facing History and Ourselves, and the National Writing Project. Rural students often feel far away from the conversation in a flyover state, often overlooked. And this American Creed film has given them a conversation that they can join. I published my paper, What it Means to be American, that's what I titled it, to the National Writing Project, my senior year. If you have a purpose to write, you can change the world. That's why I know that the students are in a good spot, that they have the ability to compel others with facts and evidence. We're okay if we disagree, but we respect how each of us is trying to communicate our experience as American's. (gentle music)