Freedom
"In the hour of darkness and peril and need,The people will waken and listen to hearThe hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,And the midnight message of Paul Revere."1 April 18, 1775-British troops have landed on the American shore in order to subdue the colonists. On the evening of the birth of the United States of America, Paul Revere rode through the night with a message for his fellow Americans. He warned them "to be up and to arm" 1-to resist the threat to their Freedom. That simple motto resides on the license plate of every resident of New Hampshire, a constant reminder of the sacred principle that our forefathers fought for during the Revolutionary War, our grandfathers fought for during World War II, and which stares us down in the
Our liberty, however, is always threatened; and as we move through the years, the nature of the threats change as it is manifested in different ways. Historical events such as the examples aforementioned attest to the threats on American freedom. The visible effects of these threats are often impossible to miss: gray smoke rising as billowing plumes, F-14s crisscrossing the skies, crumbling debris littering the streets, blackened countrysides shaken by explosions. On that fateful Tuesday, through no fault of their own, citizens of the United States of America paid the ultimate price for our collective freedom and democracy, dying due to the despicable acts of depraved madmen. But it is that hope that we as a nation, are left to cling to in the wake of the latest threat to our freedom, strengthening our community bonds and our national resolve. When our freedom is threatened, the continuation of our liberty is dependent upon the citizens of the United States, their understanding of the Democratic process, and their love of freedom. Those Paul Reveres, normal people pushing forth with the indestructible and resilient American spirit, are needed to shine through in times of need and to guard constantly our most sacred privilege-FREEDOM. Sometimes, it is a single action like 9/11; and at other times, it is a movement like communism, the recent growth of ethnic turmoil, and the rise of religious fundamentalism. That hope rises from what is witnessed around us: friends helping friends, neighbors assisting neighbors, heroes rising from the ashes of decimated buildings, rescue workers giving their lives to continue a seemingly futile search, doctors and nurses answering emergency calls in droves, and even those citizens doing whatever they can to chip in during a time of need-be it donating blood, enlisting in the armed forces or just flying an American flag as a symbol of solidarity and support. But it is often the less visible effect that is even more somber and eerie: the silence that penetrates public locations, replacing usual laughing, joking, and shouting with a surreal atmosphere of sadness, anger, and hope. Much like JFK's assassination, and Pearl Harbor a generation before, September 11, 2001 will be remembered as yet another day that will live in infamy, another innocence lost for the American people and a change in the way we live our lives.
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Acceptance Essays
