Freedom
Two hundred years ago, the word freedom had an entirely different meaning than it does to Americans today. When our founding fathers arrived in the New World, freedom meant the release from England's stranglehold. They were trying to escape the social and religious restrictions that were present in England. America brought new opportunities to the pilgrims both socially and economically. A new nation was beginning to form, while England thought they still had control over the thirteen colonies. At the time England was the most powerful and wealthiest nation in the world. On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was written and presented to England. This document is probably one of the best symbols of freedom in America's history in that this marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Against overwhelming odds we would go on to fight the more powerful English. Thousands of men and women died fighting for our freedom, the same freedom we as Americans have today. Today in America freedom does not mean what it did in the past. Most of us take our freedom for granted. We really can not blame ourselves, because we as Americans, mainly in the age group of eighteen to thirty, were born with our freedoms handed
The ones that do vote usually do not even know why they are voting for a candidate. You feel proud because you know that underneath the flag exists the greatest symbol of freedom, integrity, and love for one's country and you feel discouraged because that symbol of freedom was lost. When something is given to you, it does not mean as much to you if you would have earned it yourself. Today Americans are not running America, politicians are running America. So many Americans live in their own little world, oblivious to what is going on around them. No matter what kind of government exists or what laws are printed on a piece of paper, freedom will always come from within. Freedom is why you can feel proud and discouraged when you see an American Flag draped over a coffin. Americans need to realize that this symbol of freedom can be reincarnated within them. Freedom to these ROTC students and to the soldiers of our Armed Forces has a deeper meaning to them than most American citizens would ever understand. That is a scary thought, especially with some of the politicians that are out there. Freedom to a boy in Lowrey 3America can mean going to a baseball game, while freedom to a boy in Afghanistan can mean living. We may think we support them, but are we really showing them the support and appreciation they deserve? A perfect example of this lack of gratitude is seen at our universities, ironically our places of higher education. The reason we have these freedoms is because of the people who died and are willing to die for our country. Our soldiers, who are the backbone of our military superpower, continue to put their life on the line to protect our freedoms. That patriotism needs to be instilled in us from the day we are born until the day we die.
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