LENOIR, N.C. – What makes for a great American? That is a critical question to ask ourselves in these times, for whatever makes a great American ultimately makes a great America.

It is a question I’ve pondered since I was a child. It was a question constantly considered around our dinner table, in our neighborhood, in school and in the community in which I grew up, Clarksburg, W.Va. However, the person most responsible in my early years for making me consider what it means to be a great American was my paternal grandmother, Margaret Barrick; we called her Foxy for her wily ways. She lived in Morgantown. I spent a good deal of time with her over weekend visits and during summer vacations until her death in 1970.

The reasons that she has caused me to spend my lifetime reflecting on this question are twofold. One was pride in our family’s history. The other was born of the bitter pain of losing her oldest son, my Uncle George, when he was Killed in Action in the first weeks of the Korean War. George, who was two-and-a-half years older than our Dad, was a World War II hero. Due to his actions to save himself and his fellow soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge, he received the Bronze Star. You can read the rest of his story here, in particular of his heroics and ultimate death in Korea.

There was not a visit to Foxy’s home that I didn’t hear of his life and heroics. She grieved the rest of her life. Not only because she had lost a son, but she also knew that Morgantown had lost a great American. She taught me that America is great because of great Americans. Great Americans, she taught me, are first great people. Great people make a great community. A great community makes a great society. Only then, can we have a great America.

The other reason Foxy was a patriot is because of our family history. Foxy was a Daughter of the American Revolution. Morgantown was founded by our ancestor, Zackquill Morgan in the 1770s. He was a hero in the American Revolution. His father, Morgan Morgan was among the first European settlers of what is now West Virginia (then Virginia) about 50 years earlier. Foxy was also a descendant of John Evans, who served during the Revolutionary War. Should you look any of these ancestors up, you’ll see that they were far from perfect; they would not be held up as a heroes in today’s politically correct culture.

These heroes – men and women – were people of action. They accomplished incredible feats, not the least of which was crossing the Allegheny Mountains into what is now Monongalia County, W.Va. In fact, both Zackquill Morgan and John Evans are buried in a cemetery near Prickett’s Fort State Park in Marion County, W.Va.

Foxy never let me forget that I, too, am of that bloodline. She made it clear from the beginning that our family produced great Americans. Nothing less was expected of me. Which brings me to the present and why I am again spending time reflecting on what it means to be a great American.

For the past couple of days, I’ve had a running conversation with a friend here in Caldwell County, Major Wright. Yesterday, as we were concluding our conversation, Major asked me what I thought it meant to be a great American. He did not pose the question in a provocative manner; he genuinely was interested in my thoughts on the matter.

He and I do not see eye-to-eye on many things, though I know we also share many beliefs, including what it means to be a great American. He is a military veteran. I am not. Just as I respect his service to our nation, he respects the ways in which I try to contribute to making our county, state and nation great.

While talking yesterday, we spent time trying to understand one another better, particularly about things on which we disagree. Or think we do. The more we talked, the more we both concluded that we ultimately share many views on what it takes to be a great American. We agreed on the importance of having stable families. We questioned the efficacy of our public schools. We wondered why some people seek office. We questioned why others stay in office. We talked about what Google brings to our community. He showed interest in the issues I write about and why I do so. We asked each other pointed questions about the war with Iran. We both expressed our love of capitalism, imperfect as it is.

We agreed that the ideals proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence occurred in a rare moment in world history. While it was written by people, who, like our family’s ancestors, didn’t always live up to them and perhaps were blinded to their own hypocrisy, they are nevertheless noble aspirations for which subsequent generations have fought to uphold more perfectly than previous generations.

We also disagreed on some things, but frankly, those differences pale in comparison to the common ground we find ourselves standing on.

I carry pocket Constitutions with me at all times to hand out. Not surprisingly, we unpacked parts of it during our conversation. We didn’t need to open it. However, I acknowledged to him that I had made a mistaken assumption about the Safeguard Americans Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE), currently a hot topic of debate in the U.S. Senate. I was just sure they are debating a bill, that if passed, would not be upheld by the courts. I am wrong. I have pretty much memorized the first half of Article I, Section. 4. It says, “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof;” however, it continues, “but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations.” I’ve been focused on this issue because voting is a rare right around the world. I oppose the SAVE bill, fearing it will disenfranchise and place undue burdens on many voters.

Major passed on the opportunity to debate this with me. That and the mere fact that we are able to have conversations without raising our voices or interrupting one another is, frankly, uncommon today. Equally important, because of the fact that we enjoyed a civil dialogue, I walked away feeling quite hopeful about our nation’s future.

America is great because of great Americans. Great Americans are first great people. Great people make a great community. A great community makes a great society. Only then, can we have a great America.

Still, we have an inflection point coming on Saturday, March 28. Across the nation, and here in Lenoir, there will be “No Kings” rallies in opposition to much of what the Trump Administration has done, from ICE raids to the Iran war. I’ve written on the rally planned for Lenoir. I understand and agree with the concerns of those organizing the event here and elsewhere.

I consider them great Americans. I also consider Major Wright a great American.

Does that make me befuddled? You will have to decide that. However, this I know: Foxy would not consider me of two minds. She did not see “red” states and “blue” states. She simply saw a nation worth preserving. I believe that my friends – Major and those organizing the “No Kings” rally – feel the same way. They are simply doing what we’ve been doing for 250 years – disagreeing about how to uphold what our ancestors built and trying to preserve it for our descendants.

© Michael M. Barrick, 2026. Constitution Photo by Larry Algeron Unsplash; Battle Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash.