Camden Central High School
 Camden, Tennessee
 Teacher: Wanda Allena
 What It Means To Be An American
By Brandi N. Miller
11th Grade

 

The Declaration of Independence was made when our country first stated its independence from Great Britain. To this day it still defines us... Sure, we have evolved and changed at an unimaginable rate, but we are still the same country that [we were] back in 1776.  We still stand upon the ground that our forefathers fought and gave their lives for. Though we have made amendments to the Constitution that they wrote it is [basically] the same...only [it has] evolved to fit our country as it grew. ...

The declaration says: “…that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with inherent and inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…” and to this day we still own those rights. We are an equal country. We have millions of different races within our borders involving religion, culture, ethnic practices, different jobs and all types of food. We have so many types of people that could create all types of conflicts yet somehow we mesh like different colored twine that wraps together to create a perfectly meshed basket. That basket is the United States of America. It holds millions of people’s lives...lives with a chance to make a difference.

Our country [provides ] millions of [opportunities]. ...Our forefathers [wanted to] give people [the opportunity] to fulfill their dreams. Not all [offer] this chance. Many have communist governments such as China, which governs its people with a strict hand that points out to them how they should live and decides if their dreams should be given the chance to come true. The United States governs [its]...but [they] have freedom and natural rights which they can invoke should the government overstep. ... We have freedom of religion, freedom to speak our minds without being arrested or shot, freedom to carry firearms which could get you arrested in less than a second in another country. We can live how we choose to, that is, obeying the law of course, but we have many rights that protect our freedom and us. We use these rights and millions more to live freely which is what our forefathers meant for us to be able to do.

Back when Great Britain reigned over us many things were done differently. The king of England “refused to pass other laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and, when so suspend he has utterly neglected to attend to them.”-(From the Declaration of Independence). “He endeavored to prevent the population of the states and, he obstructed laws for naturalization of foreigners by refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands”, which is another part of the declaration of independence that states why we wanted to secede from Great Britain and is pretty much saying he did not want our country to keep growing.  He did many things...that our forefathers despised and changed. Our country is nothing like that. We are free. We do not have one certain person to govern us but elected officials who vote and compromise on bills and laws that govern our country. This is what the Declaration of Independence wanted; to not be governed by one who holds our lives in the palm of his hands but by men who [are] equals. King Arthur had his knights sit at [a] round table  [symbolizing they were] free and equal. So are we.       

The Declaration of Independence still plays a huge part in our lives, even [in] the 21st century. ...We may not mention it every day [but] the words that cried for independence swirl around each one of us as we live our daily lives in freedom. Our forefathers...fought for independence [for] what was once a small country...[and] has now swelled and obtained a stature of greatness. This is the country that [memorializes 1776] which made it what it is. This is the United States of America.

Answers To Required Reading Questions

Q1:  The first disorder is multiculturalism, which undermines and saps at efforts for civic education. The second disorder is transnationalism which has self-proclaimed citizens. The third disorder that Professor Huntington senses is “Hispanization of America” due to the fact of America having so many non-English speaking immigrants and the fact that they could turn America into a bicultural sort of country.

 Q2: The American creed is very important, and a big part of history. It defines us. It states our laws and who we are.  [It is] what we live by.

Q3: Culture is the way we live: our religion, our traditions, our ways, our homes. Creed is the way in which we should live in one individual way.

Q4: Yes, culture defines us. Culture can be different. It can have different beliefs and traditions. Creed is a set way of religion.

Q5: Aristotle believes that “founding” is the highest theme of politics and of political science.  It means to give a country the law, institutions, offices, and precepts that make the country what it is, as in distinguishing it as a monarchy, aristocracy, etc.

Q6: “We are free enough to be able to take responsibility for the things in life we cannot choose.

Q7: Natural law and rights.

Q8:  They were new ideas during the French Revolution, revolutionary ideas in fact. These ideas could change things and the way they lived. Naturally, traditionalists did not want that. They preferred the old, “traditional” way.

Q9: Good. They could attend a funeral if they want. Everyone has a life, whether they are a good or bad person, and they had a right to attend that funeral.

Q10:   I believe that it is good that we give them their rights, BUT we are kind of coddling them in a way. Sure, we shouldn’t hang them up by their toes and torture and whip them. That would defy everything we stand for! They have their rights, but they are prisoners, not guests just temporarily staying in jail.

Yes, I am proud to be an America, but if we keep coddling prisoners and some may end up seeing us as pushovers, and I know for one thing that America is no pushover. Let’s prove that to others.

Q11: No, absolutely not! We are not the type of country that just tells others what to do. People have the right to live however they want and that includes their government. Sure, if their government is massacring people, selling slaves, and its people are pleading for Americans to assist them and help, it’s okay to intercede with our government and teach them our way. We should only impose our form of government on others if they want it.

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