What Is Patriotism to Me?

I'm thankful to the VFW for giving the Patriot's Pen prompt; "What is Patriotism to me?" This has allowed me to further understand my country and what is going on with it, and put my personal values into words that can be shared with the masses and hopefully inspire other people. The following video is what inspired the direction of my essay. - Karina

What is Patriotism to Me?

        Perhaps you've watched the video circling the Internet of a little league baseball team where the umpire announces "The National Anthem will not be sung .... Play Ball!" The teams run to their respective dugouts. You hear the cheering of the audience, and what sounds like a cacophony of voices. Gradually, the words of "The Star-Spangled Banner," become discernable, although not everyone is in tune, or singing in unison. You see one team run back to the field, taking their caps off, holding them in their right hand over their hearts. As the video pans, you can see the other teams and parents doing the sane. Towards the end of this song, these patriotic individuals' voices are united. (Crowd Sings National Anthem)

        According to Webster's Dictionary, a "patriot" is "one who loves and supports his/her country, a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors." (Webster)

        A patriot upholds The Constitution and The Bill of Rights in many ways. He protects freedom of religion regardless of their faith, the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, regardless of who the speaker is or what is written, and protecting the freedom to assemble, even if you are not with the assembly.

        While defending the country is frequently viewed as joining the armed forces through active-duty or reserves, others who protect us include police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians. A patriot supports those mentioned, the president, and other government officials, even if you do not agree with them. They should be respected for the office and the responsibility they hold.

        Defending our country is an act of patriotism.  Thousands of men and women, including myself and family members have felt this calling to serve. From hearing the national anthem, seeing other soldiers deployed, returning home, or even seeing those on a nearby base, and feeling awe-struck from their duty and responsibility.

        To me, patriotism is honoring our living veterans on Veteran's Day and any time we can and putting out flags on Memorial Day for those deceased, standing at attention for the National Anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance. In these and other ways, we show respect for our country and those who risk their lives to protect us.

        As you can see, patriotism can take many forms. We may not always agree. While we are not always in tune or singing the same words in harmony, we are the United States of America.

Works Cited

The crowd sings the national anthem after the announcer says it will not be played before baseball little

Jecrgre.16 October 2020. 8 November 2020.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqfliHuezcou>.

Webster. P¢tri.a/. n.d. website. 27 October 2020. <htry://www.Webster dictionary.

net/definition/patriot>.

Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned?

 Hello, everyone!  It's been a while since our last post, but we will be working to be more active with our content.

We have been writing papers for the Patriot's Pen and Voice of Democracy essay competitions for several years through our local VFW. The VFW has offered an opportunity for young people to share hope and patriotism with the country through these writing competitions, and it has been a blessing to be able to participate in them.

The essay topics this year were suitable to reflect on this last year and prior years. The Voice of Democracy prompt asked if this is the country the founders envisioned, and my initial response gave a negative outlook as a reaction to all the negativity projected on the American people through peers, social media, and other sources.  Instead of penning a paper that highlighted our disunity, I strived to create something that reflected a passion of mine: bringing out the positive and good aspects of people and situations.  The judges of our essays found both of our papers inspiring for the American people, which meant more to us than winning the first place awards.  Reading our essays in front of the other participants and moving them to tears was reward enough.

We hope you enjoy reading our essays and more importantly take something away that gives you a different perspective of our country and our world.  We enjoyed putting our hearts into these essays, and our goal is to unite our fellow mankind and bless others with the gift of hope. 

Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned?

    America: the land of the free and the home of the brave.  According to the Declaration of Independence, “…all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable rights…” (Jefferson)  In the Constitution, we read that as citizens of the United States, we, “…establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessing of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…”  (Madison, Hamilton, and Jay). Through these documents and our history books, we have learned of and admired the ingenuity and historical knowledge of the people who went to countless lengths to help America reach its highest potential of greatness.  They created the American Dream to be, “the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone… achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and challenging work, rather than by chance.” (Barone) 

        America has been a refuge for Europeans fleeing religious persecution from the beginning.  They knew there was a chance of a new life where they could not only worship freely but have access to abundant natural resources that they did not have the luxury of obtaining in the Old World.  They risked their lives and their livelihoods for this glimmer of hope that America had to offer.  Still today, immigrants seek out the American Dream and hope to have a chance for a better life for themselves and for their families in religious freedoms, abundant job opportunities, and free, high-quality education.  The Founders realized the importance of education and sought to instruct and instill the principles of freedom into the future generations, noted by Thomas Jefferson that “No nation could expect to be ignorant and free.” (Foner)  Most countries in the world do not have the free education that our country offers, which keeps their citizens subjugated with low incomes, resulting in high crime and frequent revolutions in the worst situations. The limited opportunities for those who have free education have the government determining how high a student can go to achieve their goals.  Renowned figures like Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Carnegie, and Ted Cruz are examples of immigrants who started from the lowest levels of society, but through the power of the American Dream rose to the top and achieved some of the greatest feats in their lifetime. 

        America provides abundant rights and liberties granted through the Constitution, which was based on the strengths of other great documents and government systems.  From the mutinous acts of Shay’s Rebellion, the new U.S. Constitution was adopted to provide a foundation and framework of how our government was to operate and more importantly enumerate and protect the civil rights and liberties for Americans to pursue their own happiness within sound, moral boundaries.  (History.com Editors)  This pursuit of happiness was not imagined as a self-indulgent ambition but envisioned as one of the creative and selfless acts.  (Amadeo)  Though the Founders could not extend the same rights and liberties to slaves without dividing the country, they desired to do their best to unify the people.  Today, after the acceptance of the corresponding Amendments influenced by the publics’ desire for equality, people of various cultures, ethnicities, and religions, along with women of all ethnicities, share the same rights and liberties, such as the right to vote, equal employment, and rights to higher education. We have had female and various ethnic groups serve as Congress members, an African American president, and as of this year, the possibility of our first African American female Vice President.  

        The Founders had a dream to create a nation where her citizens lived in true freedom, had a say in who would lead their country, on what principles they were to be governed, and enjoy a home of peace and prosperity.  They desired future Americans to value their freedom and honor as they had, and recognized that the rights and privileges they fought so hard to obtain would be left in the hands of the next generation to uphold.  The Founders mutually pledged to each other their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor (Tourtellot)  and risked their very lives for the sake of freedom from a tyrannous monarchy. George Washington states that “…the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” (Berg).  Martin Luther King, Jr. also recognized this in his driving speech, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.  We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline… And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.  It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream…that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’" (King Jr.)  These ideas fueled the American people to action.  This is the kind of passion and drive Americans need today, to turn the American Dream into reality by utilizing the God-given talents and leadership abilities to serve and empower the American people.  This is what it will take to unite our nation and make this magnificent dream a reality.  This is the country that the Founders envisioned.

Works Cited

Amadeo, Kimberly. What Is the American Dream? The History That Made It Possible. Ed. Somer G. Anderson. 20 October 2020. Article. 22 November 2020. <https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-the-american-dream-quotes-and-history-3306009>.

Barone, Aaron. American Dream. Ed. Brian Barnier. 27 March 2020. Article. 14 November 2020. <https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/american-dream.asp>.

Berg, Desmond. FOUNDING FATHERS: WITHOUT VIRTUE THERE IS NO FREEDOM. 12 April 2019. Article. 9 November 2020. <https://sovereignnations.com/2019/04/12/founding-fathers-virtue-freedom/>.

Carter, Joe. BEING ON GOD’S SIDE: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT. Ed. Joe Carter. 22 December 2010. Article. 9 November 2020. <https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2010/12/being-on-gods-side-an-open-letter-to-the-religious-right#:~:text=During%20the%20Civil%20War%2C%20Abraham%20Lincoln%20was%20purportedly,often%20praised%20for%20this%20remark%20by%20those%20who>.

Foner, Eric. "Give Me Liberty! An American History." Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History. Ed. Steve Forman. 6th. New York: W. W. Norton Company & Inc., 2020. 175. Document. 9 November 2020.

History.com Editors. Abigail Adams Urges Husband to "Remember the Ladies". 30 March 2020. A&E Television Networks. Article. 8 November 2020. <https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/abigail-adams-urges-husband-to-remember-the-ladies>.

—. Shay's Rebellion. 19 October 2019. A&E Television Networks. Article. 15 November 2020. <https://www.history.com/topics/early-us/shays-rebellion>.

Hudgins, Edgar. What Unites America? Unity in Individualism! 3 June 2004. Article. 14 November 2020. <https://www.atlassociety.org/post/what-unites-america-unity-in-individualism>.

Jack's Musings. What did the Founding Fathers want for America? 11 September 2016. Article. 9 November 2020. <https://jacksmusings.wordpress.com/2016/09/11/what-did-the-founding-fathers-want-for-america/#:~:text=The%20Founding%20Fathers%20were%20a%20revolutionary%20group%2C%20diverse,legitimate%20power%20from%20the%20consent%20of%20the%20governed.>.

King Jr., Martin Luther. Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream. 20 August 2020. Speech. 15 November 2020. <https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm>.

Kominiak, Tom. In his words: John Adams on Education and Democracy. 3 July 2019. Article. 8 November 2020. <https://www.k12insight.com/trusted/words-john-adams-education-democracy/>.

The WallBuilders. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson & Slavery in Virginia. n.d. Article. 15 November 2020. <https://wallbuilders.com/george-washington-thomas-jefferson-slavery-virginia/>.

—. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson & Slavery in Virginia. 31 December 2016. Article. 15 November 2020. <https://wallbuilders.com/george-washington-thomas-jefferson-slavery-virginia/>.

Thorne, Ashley. U.S Founding Fathers on Education, in Their own Words. 2 July 2010. Article. 8 November 2020. <https://www.nas.org/blogs/article/u_s_founding_fathers_on_education_in_their_own_words>.

Tourtellot, Arthur Bernon. We Mutually Pledge to Each Other Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor. Vers. 14.1. December 1962. Article. 14 November 2020. <https://www.americanheritage.com/we-mutually-pledge-each-other-our-lives-our-fortunes-and-our-sacred-honor>.