An Open Letter to 'America First'

Dear 'America First,'

You have become one of the many slogans used by the Trump Administration and its supporters. Trump has run his campaign on his promises to "Make America Great Again," whether that's through a border wall to prevent illegal immigration or high tariffs to protect U.S. economic interests. I've always disagreed with this phrase, for many reasons. This week, I think we need to take a closer look.

Because, if, according to the Trump Administration, America really is first, then why are we so chill with Vladimir Putin?

It seems to me, the phrase should be Russia First, or Trump First. Certainly not America first, since in this past week we have seen our democracy crumble right before our eyes.

'America First' has more of a history than many Trump supporters would believe. The phrase did not originate during the 2016 election, nor is it even something created in the 21st century. This selfish and callous mentality has existed for decades, and, throughout all of history, it has never led to success.

The 'America First' mentality emerged for the first time when Isolationism was the basis for the United States' foreign policy, way back in the colonial period. Although it started off with noble intentions, it morphed into one of the finest examples of American exceptionalism in our history. Essentially, isolationism can be defined as the unwillingness of the United States to become involved in foreign wars, because we believe that we could further democracy and freedom without violence. If you look at any point in U.S. history, you'll probably find that this didn't really work.

While isolationism did serve us well in some instances, like, for example, when George Washington decided not to involve us in the French Revolution (by the encouragement of Alexander Hamilton), it also prolonged conflict and made us seem reluctant to help our allies. Yes, isolationism worked in the colonial and revolutionary periods, when the fastest way to communicate was by snail mail, but as time went on, and the world became more interconnected, isolationism became a dangerous policy.

The earliest instance of the failures of isolationism occurred when World War I was gearing up in Europe. In this writer's opinion, World War I was the result of incompetent, egotistical leaders, tragic miscommunications, and a romanticization of war (that would soon be completely demolished). Europe was woefully unprepared for a war of such disastrous proportions. Trench warfare coupled with advancements in technology resulted in the deaths of millions of people. Over 16 million, actually.

This terrible, horrendous conflict was prolonged because of the United States' refusal to become involved. As a world superpower, we could have provided aid, troops, and food. We could have gotten involved earlier and prevented the earlier successes of Germany and the other Central Powers. We didn't help our allies because 'America First.'

I don't like to focus on what could have happened if something in history had gone differently. To do so is to ignore what actually happened, and the consequences of our actions. But, I can say that the United States' reluctance to become involved in World War I cost human lives and left the world in ruin after.

The worst thing about our lack of involvement in World War I is that we did not learn from our mistakes. In 1939, when World War II broke out - and offered greater threats to democracy - we still refused to participate.

America First Rally in 1941

War is costly. I can understand why Americans were hesitant to throw our resources across the ocean to a conflict that wasn't occurring on our soil. What I can't understand is why we were so willing to turn our backs on our allies, to turn away from the totalitarian regimes that threatened the lives of millions of people, and to pay no attention to the authoritarian leaders that threatened everything we stand for. How could we just sit by and let that happen? Why did it take the bombing of Pearl Harbor to get us involved?

An attack on one of our allies, an attack on democracy, should send us into a frenzy. If we claim to stand for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then we shouldn't tolerate threats to those ideals.

We've seen this before. We've seen the danger of 'America First.' We've seen how it isolates us from our allies and harms our reputation as the 'protector of democracy.'

And, yet, we are falling into the same patterns except, now, it is somehow worse.

This week, U.S. intel confirmed that there was Russian meddling in the 2016 election. President Trump dismissed the claim, and sided with Putin over our intelligence agencies.

How on Earth can anyone who is 'America First' still support Trump after this charade?

Our presidential election is one of the most sacred and long standing traditions in this country. And it was tampered with. By a foreign power that has never approved of democracy. By a leader that has meddled with elections in his own country.

I disagree with 'America First' with every bone in my body. I think, with the resources that we have, we are responsible to help other countries (that want our help). I think that we should serve people of all races, ethnicities, genders, and nationalities. We should be an example to the rest of the world of the inclusiveness of democracy. That does not mean to turn our backs on the rest of the world just because that is the easiest thing to do. Many people in the Republican Party might disagree with this, and that's fine (as long as they understand what they are saying). If you supported Trump because of his promises to put America first, you shouldn't support him anymore.

If you have ever said the phrase 'America First' with conviction, you should be OUTRAGED by Trump's weak stance on Russian meddling in our election.

If you're a constitutionalist, and support the 2nd Amendment and believe gun control is a violation of your rights as an American, you should be outraged.

If you think kneeling for the National Anthem is disrespectful, you should be outraged.

If you wanted to lock up Clinton, you should be outraged.

If you're an American, and you love your country and everything that we are supposed to stand for, you should be outraged.

Yours truly,

P.S. January 22nd, 2017.