The United States: Existing as was Envisioned
Prize-winning Voice of Democracy Essay from 10th Grade
It was 1774 the union between the colonies and Britain was torn apart. A large gap widened between the colonies and mainland Britain. The very small group of Patriots stood up against the large and almost universally widespread British empire. Yet the fathers of our country were not afraid to sign a document that they knew would bring about a war. With pen in hand, each one of the delegates signed the famous document that declared independence from the tyrannical rule of Britain. Our soldiers opposed and fought against the tyrants, and a new nation was born. A new nation with a government system that inspired the government of others. In this, the United States of America became a republic, a democracy where our freedoms are valued and rights are maintained.
We hold freedom highly in our country, and very much so. The first amendment protects many of the most important and most commonly used freedoms. For example, we have the right to freedom of speech. Think about how many times people have come together to voice their opinions to our government in the act of peaceful protest! It is a great freedom that we can present these complaints to our government through voicing our opinions and peacefully petitioning and protesting. Many of us also belong to a religion, which is also a protected right, being the first part of the first amendment: “The Free Exercise Clause”. Our founding fathers had the motivation to create an atmosphere for such freedoms, and, in this, they created our Constitution along with the bill of rights to protect our freedoms for all generations. Based on our freedoms, this nation is exactly how our founding fathers envisioned it to be.
An idea that our founding fathers coined at the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the creation of the Constitution is the idea that we have struggled with and even fought wars over in our own country. This is the idea that “all men are created equal” and no matter what race, we are all created equal. This was the idea that the union set out to preserve in the latter part of the Civil War in 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1st. Though a current movement has disrupted our country over racial equality, we have done much better in preserving and realizing the idea that “all lives matter” and “all men are created equal”. In this, our fathers also envisioned that we would one day be able to get along in unity with one another, not discriminating against what race a person may be.
The founders of our nation wanted a strong military, as George Washington said in his 1781 letter to Marquis de Lafayette, “Without a decisive naval force we can do nothing definitive. And with it, everything honorable and glorious.” And this is the same for all of our forces, from the army to the navy, to the air force and marine corps, those serving and those who have served, we owe all honor to them that fight for our freedom. For what is the price of freedom? This is paid in the honorable deaths of those who died so that we could live and remain, unaffected and entirely free. These people who have fought are forever in our memories. Without the protection of our veterans, those who continue to serve, and those who have died, we would not be the country of the free as we are today without them. And truly, we can do and are nothing without our military forces.
Our founding fathers envisioned many freedoms, our amendment rights, racial equality, and the freedom of having a strong military that protects us from danger every day. When we look at our flag, we may wonder how we got to where we are, but it was only with our fathers’ insights that we landed where we are. Our leaders, our government, our protection, our people, our freedom, our nation; none of these things would exist without the actions of our founding fathers, who have determined our future, by planning a government system where we can freely exist and enjoy many freedoms. When we look at our flag, it is our only hope that these freedoms are yet available for our children and their posterity to the generations that are yet to come.