There's Nothing American About America First

The phrase, "America First" was first used in 1940 by the anti-war group, the America First Committee. This was one of the largest organizations to oppose America's entrance into World War II. It's membership included many well-known Americans including writer Sinclair Lewis, poet E. E. Cummings, animator Walt Disney, actor Lillian Gish, and architect Frank Lloyd Wright. But, one of its most outspoken was aviator Charles Linbergh. Six days after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 the AFC disbanded and many of its leaders supported the war effort.

In his inauguration speech on January 20, 2017, Donald Trump invoked a similar isolationist sentiment when he stated, "We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it's going to be only America first, America first."

One week after he became President, Trump signed an Executive Order banning Muslims from seven Mideast counties. "Extreme vetting," he said, was warranted to keep our country safe. The fact that we already have an arduous two year vetting process, in which no immigrant even chooses to come to the United States (they are chosen by the American government), seemed to get lost in political maelstrom that followed his order. Immigrants, students, and visitors, already with proper visas were stopped from entering the country. Even lawful permanent residents with Green Cards were turned away.

America is an immigrant nation where millions have contributed to its success. A plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty states, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" These lines come from the poem "The New Colossus," written by Emma Lazarus in 1883.

Donald Trump's "America First" policy is a short-sighted political move to placate those workers who have lost their jobs to technology and globalization shifts in the last few decades. But our isolation will create a vacuum that China and Russia, and even Iran, will be quick to fill. "America First" over simplifies and even obfuscates the challenges the United States faces at this time. It goes against the very reason our country was created. And, it will end up haunting future generations of Americans.

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