America: The Speech

The 4th of July speech I gave to my students today directly translated from my limited Japanese.

“Before 1776, England and America were the same country. America had a lot of money. England wanted money. If America gives money, America wants to make rules. England said no. And so, there was a fight. On July 4th 1776 American leaders said, 'From now, we are not British. From now we are American.' Presently, we watch fireworks, listen to music (I march and hum the national anthem), and eat American food like hamburgers, BBQ, and so on. Tonight, I will eat Korean BBQ. The end.”

Revisionist? Yes. Oversimplified? Definitely. Students at least mildly entertained and interested? Yes, which is more than I could have hoped for.