In the early days of our Republic, older Americans were highly respected. Our founding fathers held strong religious beliefs based on a literal interpretation of the Bible.  A few biblical passages the Puritans frequently quoted by the Puritans: 
     “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” 
- Job 12: 12
      “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life” 
- Proverbs 16:31.
          Puritans believed that long life was the result of divine providence - a special blessing only given to the most worthy.
     In his book, Growing Old in America, Andrew W. Achenbaum says a positive view of aging existed for nearly two hundred years in pre-industrial America. Elders held an honored position in their community and were held up as examples for younger people.
    Old was in.  Would you believe that our ancestors even tried to look older?  Community leaders powdered their wigs to make them look gray and cut their clothes to imitate the sloping shoulders of the elderly. 
    One of the reasons this positive view of aging in America continued for many years was that the nation’s economy was primarily based on farming. Older Americans owned the family farm. They were, therefore, the decision-makers and supervised the work of the rest of the family. They could decide what kind of work they wanted to do and how long they wanted to do it.  
     What happened to bring a radical change in America’s positive attitude about aging? The changes started in the 1800s. One of the modern roots of ageism sprang up from a new and very popular evangelical form of Protestantism. Its preachers focused on salvation and the duty of sinners to repent. The young were portrayed as having lots of time to change their ways. The old were seen as long past redemption. Tradition, and the importance of elders’ wisdom, became values that faded into the background.  Instead, many sermons focused instead on the importance of youth, self-improvement, and progress.
      Ageism became more firmly entrenched in the 1800s, when drastic changes started to take place in the workplace. Factories and industry began to replace agriculture as America’s economic base. As a result jobs, became more physically demanding, which in turn made younger workers more attractive than older workers.
     Another factor that contributed to the systemic stereotyping of older Americans was the way the medical profession portrayed aging. Prominent physicians in the early 1900s spoke of aging as an “incurable disease.” 
     Physicians are certainly more enlightened today and know that aging is a process, not a disease. However, ageist attitudes are still rampant in our culture. What about those birthday cards that mock getting older? They are just one of many examples.
     The lack of positive images of seniors in advertisements and TV is a fact that cannot be denied. Perhaps it is the lack of older faces in the visual media that I find most appalling. Imagine being an alien from another planet and watching American television. You would think only young people lived here.
      I wonder what our ancestors, who lived at a time when age was revered, would think about those in our youth obsessed culture who undergo all kinds of painful procedures in order to get rid of those markers of maturity-wrinkles.
    In our culture, we have gone so far as to equate successful aging with age-segregated housing. In fact, in some senior housing, people can be fined for illegally housing grandchildren!  When is segregation, no matter how voluntary, a good thing? 
      In addition, institutions perpetuate ageism. Businesses do this when they don’t hire or promote older workers. Our health care system is tilted against older Americans, when it focuses on acute care and not the chronic care older adults need.
      To abolish ageism in our culture will require both a look back at our history and a change in our values and priorities. In this difficult time, when our country is being so painfully challenged, perhaps old age will once again be a valuable commodity. Older Americans are our most valuable resource. In order for our country to remain strong and true to its ideals, it must utilize the experience, skill, and knowledge of its senior citizens.  
     Every child, sometime in his or her schooling, should be exposed to this saying of that wise sage Plato: “It gives me great pleasure to converse with the aged, they have been over the road that all of us must travel and know where it is rough and difficult and where it is easy and level.