‘We the people’ are the first words in the Constitution, setting a standard for the American people- but what standard is that? Being united. As a country, within recent years, ‘We the people’ has started to be left in the dust and tossed aside.

Being united as a country does not mean everyone has the same political beliefs, which is impossible. Instead, it means that no matter what, we never let politics drive us against one another. Unfortunately, our country, now more than ever, suffers from extreme political and social divisions, which all relate to political candidates.

Before the 2016 election, candidates for the presidency treated one another with respect and maintained that no matter what, we must stay unified as a country. For example, at one of John McCain’s rallies he had defended his opponent Barack Obama when he was accused of being born outside the States and of being a threat to democracy. McCain replied that although he and Obama held different views, Obama was a decent man who he just had disagreements with. During recent elections, we have not gotten anything like that. 

Now, instead of ‘We the people,’ it is consistently an ‘Us vs. Them’ situation in politics and society. Both sides of the political spectrum have extremists, including elected officials, who are louder than the rest. They fear-monger to help build up the ‘Us vs. Them’ mentality. No matter what side you stand on, you must acknowledge that the political divisions in this country have grown tenfold and that if we keep these fear-festering politicians in office who have no actual plans to keep the country united, it will only get worse. 

The country needs to be reminded that we do not have to always be at each other’s necks and ruining relationships due to this ‘Us vs. Them’ thought process that is being constantly shoved down our throats and in our faces. Citizens and politicians must know that there is always a middle ground that respects the views of both sides. Politicians are not supposed to be driving us apart from one another; they are supposed to be a reminder that we can have different views but that no matter what, we are always ‘We the people, ’ a country that is supposed to stand united. 

We need to reject the idea of ‘Us vs. Them’ and start remembering that this country is a melting pot of different ideals, but at the end of the day, we should always stand united against adversity and remember that we are ‘We the people.’