To America

An idea...…that man has been created equal. That man must be governed but should not be dominated by a dictator; that no man is above the law, including those in highest authority, these and others are the ideas that founded the United States of America. To be born in this great nation is an incredible privilege. Through the ages so many people have been persecuted, enslaved, and dominated by their own government. So what makes America so great? It's not the vast resources of the land, nor the towering buildings of our mega cities. Rather it's the idea that we the people of the United States of America have the right to life, liberty, and happiness.

From the beginning America has fought to protect the freedom of the people of this grand republic. Many a soldier has lost their life to protect this freedom. From Charleston, South Carolina, and the British attack on Ben Lincoln'’s men, to Normandy France, and the charge to defeat the oppressive German Army, Americans have given their personal freedoms to protect the personal freedoms of millions of Americans. To these men I owe my gratitude.

Freedom comes with a price, a price that our forefathers paid through prison, torture and even death. These men, who continually sought to keep our nation free from tyranny, came to America for its resources; however it became evident that America was more than a place on the map, but rather America was a spirit of freedom. These men dissolved the political bands which connected us to the tyranny of a King four thousand miles away. These men walked the line to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity. By giving up their personal freedoms our forefathers protected our personal freedom. To America's forefathers I owe my gratitude.

Sir Walter Raleigh came to the New World in 1587 with a group of 108 people to start a new colony called Roanoke. Although this colony did not make it past the first year, the pioneer spirit of these first settlers continued on for centuries to come. The next several years brought men and women who sought freedom to worship as they wish, or to adventure into the vast new frontiers.These men and women suffered from deadly Indian attacks, lack of food, and diseases not contracted before. However in time these men and women came to learn that America was not just a new place to live but rather a land of great liberty. These men and women gave up their personal freedoms to protect the personal freedoms of Americans to come. To the pioneer settlers I owe my gratitude.

In Order to form a more perfect union America banded together to prevent another tyranny. The men who formed this government did not simply make a constitution to follow, but a spirit for all Americans to live by. The people of the outside world look in the United States and see a people who are free to do as they choose, but America is much more than this. What the rest of the world does not understand is that America is a spirit. This spirit can not be felt nor understood until one becomes a part of our land. Oh, America is so much more than a land filled with vast resources, America is so much more than a great military power, America is a spirit; A spirit born from an idea that we the people of the United States of America have the right to life, liberty, and happiness. It is to this great nation that I owe my allegiance.

The previous was written by Joseph Scroggins