I cannot stop thinking about the story projected onto the Washington Monument on Monday night. The video was part of the final day of a weeklong celebration, kicking off the anniversary of the United States. So far, I have seen and read only adulation for the spectacle.
But as we stood in the cold watching and listening—duly impressed with the projection—a chill seeped deep into my being as the story rang across the National Mall. Our nation’s history was clearly told through a particular lens in those 25 minutes, which made me wonder whether we were celebrating our nation’s 250th birthday or its 50th.
The technology was advanced. The ideology reflected an archaic vision of our history.
The lens of Manifest Destiny was evident. The editors of History.com define Manifest Destiny as “the idea that the United States is destined—by God, its advocates believed—to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent.”
Core concepts of this idea include divine right, American exceptionalism, justification for conquest and a drive propelled by economic gain. While this ideology contributed to the formation of our country, its underbelly is the inhumane and unjust treatment of Native Americans, enslaved peoples and minorities— not to mention the need for perpetual war to uphold its ideals.
The story broadcast through the projection spoke of the United States only as a righteous nation: chosen by God, a shining light in the world, a savior for the world— a nation always building greater and greater, bigger and bigger, with its greatness endlessly continuing.
There was no mention of those on whose backs this so-called “greatness” was built, nor of the brave souls who spoke truth to power to liberate the enslaved and oppressed. I do not remember even a shout-out to those who sacrificed their lives for our nation, even as the broadcast echoed down to the World War II Memorial, past the names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and around the haunting statues of soldiers from the Korean War.
It rose past the statue of the women—nurses and mothers holding the wounded— and up the steps to where Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the feet of Lincoln’s Memorial to hold out a dream of justice for anyone who would listen.
As I recall, only white men were actively mentioned in the telling of the 250 years of the United States. I know this should not be surprising, given all the givens.
And truthfully, it was saying the quiet part out loud about the ideology and actions flowing from the highest seats of power in our country—an ideology that seems to be meeting very little resistance from our checks and balances. Still, I was taken aback by the framing of our 250 years.
The way we tell our history matters. What we remember matters.
Perhaps we tell ourselves those stories do not belong at a birthday celebration, as we light the candles on the cake. On the other hand, maybe we should know better at age 250 and realize to forget is to repeat.
Heartbreakingly, the ideology of Manifest Destiny destroyed countless precious lives. We should never forget. And I suppose I had hoped we would have grown wiser with age.
Hopefully, by 350, we will have learned.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Brooke Holloway Blake is a minister in Northern Virginia.
