Editorial: ‘Proud to Be an American’ on Pioneer Day

What happened to “proud to be an American”? Can’t we keep fighting for the America our pioneer forefathers saw in their future?

I recently had the chance to watch the proceedings of a United States naturalization ceremony that took place at Bryce Canyon. I was struck by the love that these brand new U.S. citizens have for America. And quite frankly, I felt a little called out for not always feeling the same.

I think many Americans today feel too worried about the things going on in their country to understand what it is they take for granted. But when we see all the issues, we can learn from our pioneer, American Indian, slave, and immigrant forefathers, who grew to love their country and what it stood for despite the difficult things it put them through.

The Conditions that Drove the Pioneers Out

Many Utah residents are familiar with the conditions that drove the early Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley. From an extermination order from Missouri, to the death of their prophet in Carthage Jail, to mobs in Illinois, the saints had not been treated well by the United States or its citizens. Finally in 1846 they resolved to leave the country.

With little but the clothes on their backs, many of the saints left Nauvoo, Illinois, and heeded the Lord’s call to trek West — just outside the United States — somewhere in the Rockies. This is the trek that so many youth, like those in the Panguitch Stake this summer, reenact today to remember the pioneers’ sacrifices.

In 1848, however, one year after the saints arrived in Utah, the United States won the Mexican-American War, and Utah, once Mexican Territory, became part of the U.S. It was not exactly the end that many of them had hoped for, and for a while, the pioneers and the U.S. government did not get along.

The Choice to Fight for an Imperfect Country

The pioneers were not the only ones who faced struggles living in the U.S. — it’s not a perfect nation, after all. American Indians, slaves and immigrants, likewise, have periodically been mistreated by our government or our citizens. They have faced racism, injustice, persecution, even blatant mob violence, systematic bullying, prejudice and murder.

Yet, after experiencing all of that, many of our forefathers chose proudly to become Americans.

Mormon men fought for the country in what is known as the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican-American War. Their women, then plural wives, went to Washington, D.C., to teach lawmakers about their people, leading change for women’s and religious rights in the United States. Utah citizens voted, followed the country’s laws where they didn’t conflict with church teachings, and finally found a nation that would treat them as a nation should treat its citizens: with trust and respect.

These pioneers did a lot to make Utah what it is today. And, as Nadia so eloquently told us in the last issue, we can carry on their legacies.

Our Choice to Be Proud Americans Too

There is something powerful about the potential these pioneers saw in the broken nation that had hurt them so many times. Somehow, they understood the possibility for a better future. And our country is better because they stayed.

Yes, there were problems — lots of problems — but who better to solve them than voting, working, change-leading American citizens. Many of the pioneers understood that.

So, this Pioneer Day, I have a suggestion. Despite any of the good and the bad of what’s going on in our country today, what if each of us, like our forefathers, chose to be ‘proud to be an American’?

Proud because of what the Mormon pioneers saw. Proud because we are willing to keep working for that future. Proud natural-born citizens of the United States of America.

– by Abbie Call

Feature image caption: When the pioneers first entered the Salt Lake Valley, they didn’t expect to return to the nation that had hurt them so much. In 1896, however, they entered the Union proud to be an American state. They even celebrated by hanging a giant American flag on the Salt Lake Temple. Courtesy J. Willard Marriot Library/University of Utah.

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