Vivien Doucette

Questioning American Roots

They were escaping persecution. Religious extremism and violence were

causing the people to flee their homes to find freedom from these harmful forces. Who were
these people? The Mayflower Pilgrims. When they fled England towards the New World, they
set the roots for the United States of America. Since then, America has become a melting pot of
separate cultures such as French, Vietnamese, Chinese and Irish. But why does the current
America seem to be so reluctant to allow Syrian Refugees come into America? The Syrian War
between the American backed Kurds, the Islamic extremist organization ISIS, the Syrian
Government and Syrian opposition has displaced millions of innocent people, who have mostly
fled to an already crowded Europe. It has now come into question if America should allow these
refugees into our country. Despite worries about national security, the US should allow more
refugee to relocate in the US because our country was founded on immigration from extremism,
and should continue to be a beacon of hope for those in need and can help America become
more moral.
When a picture of Alyan Kurdi, a three year old Syrian refugee, lying dead on a beach
started circulating in the media, awareness for the issue began to grow in the US. This heart
wrenching photo of this small defenseless child, and his even more desperate story struck the
hearts of Americans, reminding them of their own small children. We must remember that Alyan
and his picture is not the sole story of refugees fleeing Syria and meeting their demise.
Countless other nameless men, women and children, tried to escape the violence and danger in
Syria, and died in the process. The suffering of these people is something that American people
can not turn our cheek to. When the 2010 Haitian earthquake caused massive amounts of pain
and suffering, we did not turn our cheek, we sent aide. When thousands of Yazidi people were
threatened with genocide, we came to their aide in the form of defense and supplies, so what
makes the refugees different? These refugees are living a literal hell. Many have seen the
horrors of war, were pushed out of their homes and now are desperately searching for a safe
place to call home. Not only allowing these people to come in to American would create greater
equality for these people but also would be the right(just?) thing to do. America can(what
specifically can America do?) and should open its arms to these people and helping them create
new lives. If we were to separate ourselves from the bias and prejudices that have been given
to us through privilege, then we would truly understand and empathize with these people. A
concept known as John Rawlss Veil of Ignorance tell us that to each true justice, which in turns
is equality, we must do. This ignorance allows us to see what is morally right, therefore is highly
useful in decision making, especially in a crisis like this one. The quote compassion is the basis
of morality by Arthur Schopenhauer tells us that this compassion gained will then allow us to
make more morally right decisions. If we separate ourselves from our American identities, we
then realize that our worries of national security are vastly undermined by the needs of these
people.
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-tost to me, I lift my
lamp beside the golden door! For more than 100 years these poem by Emma Lazarus has
received immigrants coming into New York City, by the form of the Statue of Liberty. The words
explicitly tell the world that America will take in those in need of hope and shelter. America was

founded on hope for a new world where safety, liberty, equality and a happy life. Without these
principles, we would not be the country we are today. Many people here in the US today believe
that we should honor our Founding Fathers wishes and hold the Constitution still true today, but
what about this pursuit of happiness that we claim close to our hearts. The Syrian refugees left
their home because they want to live in a safer, more secure land where they can live their lives
how they see fit. America should let these people in because it is what we were founded on and
we should be that shining ray of hope for these homeless and desperate people. It is only
logical that we should uphold these ideals and the way is to allow these refugees in and give
them protection and hope.
This is not an issue that will not fade anytime soon. Millions of people are suffering
without a home to call their own, and America needs to take these people in because we need
to continue to live our initial principal and become the leader in the world of moral choices. We
can improve the lives of millions of innocent people.