This past week my husband and I packed our five young children into a conversion van and drove about 1400 miles round-trip to visit the Black Hills of South Dakota. If you”ve ever visited this area of the country, you know that it is a great destination for a family vacation with endless historical sites, museums, tourist attractions, and state and national parks to visit. We had a great time and I feel tremendously accomplished after surviving 5 nights on the road, four of them spent in a tent. That is no small feat with kids aged 9, 7, 5, 4, and 15 months!
Now that we’re home (and buried under piles of dirty clothes and sleeping bags that smell like campfire and are covered in sticky marshmallow) I keep thinking back to a couple unexpected moments of our trip and I find myself pondering how we, as parents, can raise kids that love both God and country?
The main stop planned on our trip was of course Mount Rushmore National Monument. We visited the park late in the day and stayed for the lighting ceremony that takes place every evening as the sun goes down. If you are ever planning to visit Mount Rushmore I suggest you consider attending this event. It is a beautiful tribute to democracy and highlights the sacrifices made in our country”s short history to be a free land.
I was touched by the historical biographies given of the men depicted on Mount Rushmore and the wonderful tribute given to all the military personnel present that evening. A swell of patriotism and pride for the principles of our country rose up within me as the crowd rose together and sang the national anthem after the flag was ceremonially lowered and folded by current members of the military and veterans in attendance.
I watched as my young sons took off their hats and placed their hands on their hearts for the anthem and thought about something that had happened earlier in the day on a hike with their dad. My husband and the older boys had taken a hike that morning from our campsite to explore the amazing rocks and landscape of the Black Hills. There was a peak not far from our campsite that was calling their names and they set off to conquer it. About an hour later I saw a Facebook update from my husband sharing this picture.
My two oldest boys, one barely nine and the other almost seven years old, spontaneously removed their hats and placed them over their hearts. Unprompted to do so, they paused for a moment to honor the flag that another climber had planted on this peak. When my husband questioned them, the older simply said “It was the right thing to do.”
Now, we are not a military family or even a family that talks a lot about being patriotic. Of course we honor the flag at the beginning of the Fourth of July parade each summer and I”ve tried to instill a sense of reverence for the Pledge of Allegiance and what it means to live in a free country. We talk about soldiers and what a brave sacrifice it is to lay one’s life down for a cause that you believe in (much like the Church’s martyrs). But I was honestly blown away by my boys’ intrinsic understanding of how important it is to honor the flag of our free and democratic nation. I was humbled as I looked at my own feelings towards our government and I felt a sense of shame as I thought about how I have at times forgotten to be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy.
For the past several years it has been easy for some of us to become frustrated and disenchanted with our own government. We have felt trampled upon and ignored by a system that seems to have forgotten that it was created as a refuge for those seeking freedom from tyrannical rulers. We”ve watched our values get pushed aside and have felt that our faith has been relegated to being practiced on Sunday mornings within the four walls of our churches.
I have spoken up about the assaults to my religious freedom posed by current laws and have been outspoken in my criticism of our current President”s policies. But while I have shared what I am upset about (and rightly so, in my opinion), I have not stopped to acknowledge that I have been free to say these things precisely because the American Dream is still strong. I am free to write this blog post without fear of litigation or incarceration because our government still protects the individual opinions and freedoms of its citizens to disagree with it.
Some of you may still feel like the great democratic experiment is going to hell in a hand basket, but experiences like this past week remind me that there is great hope that the next generation of leaders will have a strong grasp and understanding of what it means to have been born into a free nation. If we can teach our children the truths of our history and give them the role models of men and women who bravely fought for freedom in the face of negative public opinion and popular thought, we can have hope and faith that God will continue to bless our republic and bring us through the trials our nation will face.
While listening to Lincolns’ famous Gettysburg Address during the lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore, I was given some perspective about our current struggles as a nation. As Lincoln took part in the ceremony that consecrated the burial grounds for the soldiers who lost their lives in the Gettysburg battles he said that the sacrifice of these soldiers was a call to the living to take up the task of preserving the republic.
“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Lincoln would also ultimately give his life for this cause. The cause of a nation that honors its citizen’s rights and a country that recognizes the dignity and value of every citizen is worth the sacrifice. We should all be proud to give our lives for a country that bands together “Under God” and strives to create laws and programs that give worth to the principles of freedom and liberty.
The Church has said that true and authentic democracy is a good and beneficial form of government. We must raise our children to love both country and God because our great country truly cannot exist without God. Our form of democracy is based upon the recognition that our laws come from a Higher Power and that our elected leaders are chosen to adhere to a central core of objective moral truth. We need leaders who know God and understand that without God the new birth of freedom that Lincoln resolved to bring about will never truly be “of the people, by the people, for the people” if we do not include people of faith. We must not let the great sacrifices of all the soldiers who have died for this cause be in vain. We must stand up for the country they believed in and continue to place our path firmly “Under God’s” protection and guidance.
A family vacation to see the sights of South Dakota’s Black Hills is a fun getaway. But I am hoping that for those who plan a visit to our nation’s shrine to democracy, Mount Rushmore, it will also be a spark that brings about a renewal of our great Republic’s original goals. We still have a country worth fighting for and I pray that those who visit this monument this summer will leave with a lasting takeaway about how important it is to bring God back into the fight; for truly “In God We Trust”.
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My problem is that very few people realize that the Black Hills did not belong to us. We stole it from the Sioux and other tribes who called it sacred ground. In fact, making mt rushmore in the black hills is seen by some as a final insult. Please don’t white wash our nation’s past. There is a lot of ugliness in it, especially when dealing with the Black Hills and US/Indian relations. Sure, we are supposed to love our country but we are not the greatest nation on earth. We are just like any other. We have very, very ugly chapters in our history. Don’t put on rose colored glasses. Our current government is using some precedents that was used over a century ago. Abraham Lincoln declared martial law and had dissidents arrested. Also, look at our Indian policies and compare them to what we are doing in other countries right now. To better understand the present is to better understand the past..both the good and bad parts.
Rachel, I agree that there is a lot of ugliness in our history and how our government has chosen at times to bring about the realization of our ideals. I still hold however that the ideals of a free republic that honors and upholds the rights of individual citizens is worth fighting for. You might be pleased to know that there was more than just a small mention about the injustices perpetuated on the Native Americans during the Mt. Rushmore presentation. It actually surprised me a bit that they gave as much attention as they did to the rift Mt. Rushmore caused in US/Indian relations.
Something I didn’t mention in this article is that we also visited Crazy Horse Monument while there. I was so impressed with the progress made since my last trip as a child and in the big picture dream for this monument. I had not realized all that the monument symbolized to the Native Americans and the plans they have to build not only a monument but also a university and cultural center to promote and preserve native customs. The thing that stuck out the most about that visit is that they very clearly do not accept any form of government funding and have even turned down $20 million in the form of grants from the government because they want to be certain they are able to build the monument as they wish. They are making it clear that they do not need government aide to achieve their dreams and that they do not trust that the government will serve their best interest. A poignant reminder of our nation’s sad history.
The symbolism of Crazy Horse’s response to the question “Where are your lands?” with his arm outstretched and pointing saying “My lands are where my dead lie buried.” resonates with all of us who view life as sacred and family as worth honoring. He was truly a hero in his fight for the dignity of his people and their rights in a developing nation. He too ultimately died for this cause.
I think that visiting these two monuments in combination gives one a good sense of the history that we’ve been through as a nation. It certainly helped my little family better understand all that the Native Americans went through and that it is important to never trample on others to achieve our goals.
Mt. Rushmore elevates heroes of the American effort to achieve a free nation that truly respects people. Crazy Horse reminds us that there are many more unlikely heroes in our history that fought to preserve the dignity of marginalized people. Not all are white heroes, but they are just as deserving as a mountain of rock honoring their contributions.
Leah this was great, Thanks.
Your spirit reminded me of one my favorite movie lines, which I continually apply to the days in which we’re living in this great nation under God. From the Return of the King, Aragon at the Black Gates, when all seemed lost and hopeless…
“My brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight!
By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you: Stand, Men of the West!”
There’s still much we hold dear in this country and the image of your boys standing atop a mountain saluting Old Glory is a great reminder of that.
Thanks Ryan, it touched my heart and reminded me that God has blessed our land and given us so much. We must not forget to thank Him for His blessing and commit to the preservation of our ideals.