Am. Gov. #8

I've been watching a lot of documentaries lately about other countries where the people have sadnesses. Sadnesses in their lives ranging from genocide to arranged marriages to child abductions to having to drop out of school because their family can't afford it.
These movies make me realize that I have so much to be grateful for. It's very easy to focus on the negative points in America, and the problems we have (And heaven knows we have problems) but today I would like to focus on the good.
I am glad I was born in America because we are a land of opportunity, and a land of change. The two work together very closely; our society changes to offer opportunities to those who have few. Let me explain this.
200 years ago, blacks were sold as slaves. Because of the way our government is set up, blacks gradually were emancipated, given the right to vote etc. 50 years ago, blacks still faced terrible prejudices against them. Because of the way our government and society is set up blacks were able to do non-violent protests and change views of society. In most other societies they would have simply been incarcerated or even executed. Today, we have a black man serving as our president. Is that something great about our country, or what?
Same thing with women. In the beginnings of our country, women did not have suffrage, they did not have opportunities for education, they did not have nearly as many equal opportunities. Look at how much that has changed!
America is an equalizing land! Yes, we have had our prejudices, we have had our periods of racism, and I believe some prejudices still exist today. The system isn't perfect, but it becomes more so all the time as our society becomes more and more accepting of others.
I love our land!