...And I say that with the greatest of respect to its already long and proud history. I say it with the knowledge that todays events would not be possible if the majority of people in the USA had not achieved that stamp of maturity in their undoubted patriotism, the ability to look the less proud moments in the nations history squarely in the eye and see them clearly for what they were.
Perhaps it is the previous administrations flagrant violations of the nations highest laws and principles that makes the vision so clear for so many. Perhaps it is just that the newer generation of politicians and voters may have learned about but do not personally recall the long and arduous struggle for equal civil rights without regard for race. Perhaps it is simply that the time has come.
The Declaration of Independence marked the new nations conception, the Constitution its birth. That Constitution, the highest law of the land, has an impressive family tree.
Whilst the Founding Fathers can be hailed as midwives to the Constitution, its parents were the French Revolution and the English Civil War - the final downfall of the belief in the divine right of kings. Both Louis of France and Charles of England departed the world as a direct result of their subjects belief that a ruler MUST answer for their actions, that "It's not illegal if the king does it" (to paraphrase a more recent politician) is an argument that does not hold water. In neither country did a monarch ever wield such power again although some came close - Victoria and Napoleon, Empress and Emperor respectively, spring to mind. From that step there was no going back.
For a grandparent of the Constitution, we need look no further than Magna Carta, the document that to this day serves as the foundation of common law in the United Kingdom. This was the birthplace of the western notion of the rule of law, even though the king was still above that law and answerable to no one. Nonetheless, at the urging of the highest nobles of the land, Magna Carta was signed, giving a guarantee of basic rights, placing limits on the power of government.
That is where the seed was planted, the seed from which grew that tree of freedom which men and women have watered with their blood for so many centuries. Today, in Washington, we get to see another branch of it flower.
Edited to add:
Mr President, you have humbled and honored this Englishman who is proud to live in the great nation that you lead. Today I wrote from my heart, and you spoke from yours. To find such similar words from both of us today explains that pride.
...We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness...
Yes, Mr President. Yes we can.