Vibrant fireworks light up the sky as 6-year-old Paige Mattiello admires the Fourth of July display from her picnic blanket on the grass. Surrounded by family and friends, Paige feels a sense of belonging and national pride in celebrating her country’s independence. Despite her complicated feelings toward the United States today, this remains one of Paige’s most cherished memories.
As the United States prepares to blow out 250 candles this July, Paige, now a sophomore, finds herself holding two truths at once: a deep appreciation for the American ideal and disappointment by the reality of its history. For many students, the primary source of pride lies in what America represents to the rest of the world. Junior Tristan Hamilton, a first-generation American citizen, struggles to reconcile the image of America’s freedom with the reality.
“I feel like I’m really proud of the projected freedom,” Tristan said. “We project to a lot of countries that we’re a free nation, even though in certain aspects we’re not.”
Sophomore Liam Evans agrees, pointing to the foundational documents that have come to define the American identity.
“I think it’s really amazing how deeply ingrained a lot of the free speech laws are in America,” Liam said. “It’s one of the core values I think people think of when they envision America.”
Liam also believes the country’s greatest strength is its multiculturalism. Specifically, he appreciates his ability to walk through Chicago and experience a multitude of cultures through food and community.
However, the “projected” nature of these freedoms remains troubling to Paige. She reflected on the hypocrisy of the nation’s founding, noting that the same men who wrote the Declaration of Independence owned enslaved people.
“They were preaching about all men created equal, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and God-given rights, but they were also at the same time depriving people of their God-given rights,” Paige said. “I think it’s always been definitely a point of contradiction.”
To reconcile this, Paige chooses to focus on the intent of the words rather than the flaws of the men who wrote them. During her swimming meets, when the Pledge of Allegiance is recited, she internally acknowledges the hypocrisy while still showing patriotism by saying the words. For Paige, it is important to honor the promise while also recognizing the failure.
The weight of this history is felt most heavily by those whose families were excluded from the original promises in 1776. Tristan was born in Aurora, Illinois, and considers himself a first-generation American citizen. His father was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and his mother immigrated from the Dominican Republic at age 4 due to racial tensions between Haitians and Dominicans.
“America has a really deep history with racial divide,” Tristan said. “That’s one of the main things that I’m really not proud of at all, especially as an African American. It’s really hard for us out here, because we’ve been discriminated against since the moment that we arrived here on the ships.”
This systemic friction creates a unique pressure for Tristan during American traditions like the National Anthem. He described a feeling of performative citizenship: “If I don’t stand up, people are going to look at me strange… like, ‘Oh, you’re not American?'”
Despite these tensions, the “American Dream” is an idea still relevant to students like Paige and Tristan. Specifically, Paige acknowledges her own privilege in America as a white female.
“I feel like if I had an ‘American Dream,’ I could probably achieve it,” Paige said. “And I think that is a privilege based on my skin color and based on my family’s status.”
Similarly, Tristan believes that while the “American Dream” is not achievable for everyone, he sees through his own lived experience that it can still be achieved.
“I have the ability to have the stereotypical American dream — two kids, white picket fence, a dog,” Tristan said. “That’s achievable for me. Like, I’m actively living that right now.”
As America’s 250th anniversary approaches, the students at U-High aren’t looking for just a celebratory display of fireworks; they are looking for an honest acknowledgement of our country’s history and the reality of the life many Americans are living today.
