/ The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. / The mountains and the endless plain- / All, all the stretch of these great green states-- / And make America again" (Hughes 2)! It is significant that Hughes not only refers to another line from the Declaration of Independence, "We, the people," but this amounts to a call to both African Americans and white Americans to reestablish the highest ideals of America for all citizens.
We see in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" that Hughes not only celebrates his ancestry and connection to Africans millions of years removed but also refers to the liberation of his people from slavery in his reference to Abe Lincoln. From an ancient connection to the modern, Hughes celebrates
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