Every time that I walk to my history class in the early morning, just as the sun is shining through the pink and white flowers on the trees, I admire the American flag flying outside of the laboratory school on campus. The flag always causes my heart to swell in pride and I think about how fortunate I am to live in this country.
More often then not, I find myself complaining about the stupidest things, like what the dining hall is having for dinner, but we as a society take many things for granted. In other parts of the world, husbands can legally rape their wives, women can’t drive a car, and others aren’t even allowed to go to school. Governments censor their citizens and throw people in jail for saying anything negative about a dictator. Young children have to work in harsh conditions just to help their families get by, and others have to walk long distances just to get water to drink.
In America today, we are in the process of a presidential election that has a lot of people on edge. Some people claim that they will "leave the country" if a candidate they don’t like is elected, but I just can’t imagine leaving America. We have our problems, but so does everyone else, and a lot of countries have much worse problems than we do.
If we are truly Americans, then we must never lose the American spirit.
The American spirit is the Revolutionary War. It is standing up for what you know is right, even if it means risking imprisonment or death.
The American spirit is the civil rights movement. It is saying we are all brothers and sisters.
The American spirit is the aftermath of 9/11. It is coming together to mourn as one nation for those who died.
The American spirit is the people in the military. It is veterans, the ones we have lost to war or PTSD, and the ones continuing to serve today.
The American spirit is in all of us. It is bonfires on Friday nights, children sending cards to armed service members, and families coming together at dinner.
In remembrance of those who came before me, and for the sake of future generations to come, I will not be ashamed to be an American. I will take pride in my country and stand up for what we were founded on. I want to continue to live in a country where I can walk up and down the streets and see children running through green lawns, where I can go into a grocery store and have thousands of things to choose from, and where I can sit in a church on Sunday and not fear persecution from terrorists.
I don’t care what they say. The American spirit is too alive and well to lose over a political candidate. This country has worked hard to get where it has gotten today. Lots of blood, sweat, and tears have been shed in the name of democracy and freedom, and though we don’t always get it right, the American spirit still draws in immigrants from around the world.
"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." -John F. Kennedy
It is time that we all ask what we can do for this country.
