Ryan Bacon

What a year to be patriotic!  On this most American of days there is plenty to be excited about with living in the good ol’ U.S. of A.  It’s an election year and one that the majority of Americans (for the first time in decades) have a true interest in who will run this country in the coming four years.  Gay marriage is now legal in California, a huge step in the right direction towards the nation’s ideals that all are free and equal.  Personally this will be the year that I’ll become an American citizen and will be able to vote.  It also may be my last Fouth of July in the country before moving overseas.  It’s all very nostalgic, but lets reflect on what makes America what it is.

Strangely, I found some of the biggest American icons are not actually from here. 

Remember the saying “as American as apple pie”?  One may think of this being American home-grown and baked by Mum in the kitchen, but the delicious pies have been eaten by the English since 1381 and the seeds for the apples were shipped to the colonies for cider.  Colonists originally ate meat pies, but the apple pies gained interest in the 1800’s.  So where does the term come from?  During WWII, many soldiers were quoted to say “they were fighting for Mum and apple pie.”  Hence an icon was born.

There’s no vehicle more American than a Chevy and they fit into the landscape like a pair of comfortable blue jeans.  There’s no way it wouldn’t be American, right?  But actually Chevrolet is a French name given to the company’s founder, Austrian-born, Louis Chevrolet, who later moved to the United States to start his motor company in the early 20th Cnetury.  The famous Chevy bowtie logo was also copied off of a design on wallpaper at a Paris hotel.

Oh surely baseball is American!  The roar of the crowds in the stands of Fenway Park, hot dogs, and the cry of “three strikes you’re out” are 100% American.  However, the game originated in Romania in 1364 and the modern rendition was played in Britain in the early 18th Century as “Bat-and-Ball”.  The tradition was moved to the Colonies and the game took off in the 1830’s. 

As disapointing as it is to learn that all things American really aren’t, it also reflects the premise of the country.  The US takes pride in having open arms to outsiders and being a land of immigrants.  But in this case, not only to people, but also to traditions, customs, and ideals.  Lady Liberty, who has greeted newcomers to these shores for over a century, is an immigrant herself originally coming from France.  Being an immigrant myself, it makes me pleased to add to to this country and to celebrate its birthday.  To this day I can personally say that the American dream continues and it’s reflected in its icons.

Happy Birthday America!