On the Great Seal of the United States the Latin words 'E Pluribus Unum' is written.
Accurately translated they mean "Out of many, one".
Although the motto refers to the union between the states and federal government, it symbolizes the make up of people from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds coming together and sharing in the same basic beliefs and forming a nation.
The many have had to come together as one throughout our history.
Every conflict, the Depression, many natural disasters called for sacrifice and unity as a nation.
The only exception would be the Civil War; we were not focused as one during that period of time.
Immigrants from all over the world came here to be Americans.
They still come, millions illegally, but they come to be hyphenated Americans, or dash Americans.
Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States said: "A man who thinks of himself as belonging to a particular national group in America has not yet become an American, and the man who goes among you to trade is not a worthy son to live under the Stars and Stripes".
Things have gotten worse since President Wilson's era, especially with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Race, color, religion, sex, and national origin provided us ample opportunity to segregate ourselves.
The pollsters and media consistently use the division by dash, through polls and news stories.
They call it demographics.
Throughout the United States there are many borderless dash Americas.
There is Africa-America, Mexican-America, Hispanic-America, Asia-America, etc.
There are even color coded Americas.
The list of separation is as long as the population is diverse.
There is nothing wrong with being proud of ones heritage and culture, but where does the loyalty lie? This is an honest question, since the America part of the equation falls after the dash.
If you call yourself African-American, are you loyal to Africa first? The same is asked of anybody else who wants to be known as a dash American.
The terrorists who attack us are not targeting dash Americans.
They simply want to kill Americans.
When traveling overseas, a local person will not ask if you if you're a dash American.
After they hear you speak, they simply ask if you're American.
In both instances they don't care what dash group you or the press has categorized you in.
When discussing heritage once, I said to a friend who is of Japanese decent, "So, you're Japanese-American?" "No", he replied rather sternly, "American-Japanese, always American first.
" I remember saying to him, "Wow somebody else understands where the America part belongs.
Too bad more people don't.
" Race, color, religion, sex, and national origin have become our great dividers.
We have become a Divided States of America.
Perhaps the Great Seal should say in Latin - From one into a bunch.