lets all be patriots.

I live for freedom and so should you so for my dear friends and family or anyone who has been wanting to read my essay. here it is. i am unsure if this is the final draft. skimming it i am doubtful but i would like you to enjoy this version nonetheless.  I have been meaning to post this since the fourth but i haven't gotten around to it for one reason or another. maybe it has something to do with the fact that i don't want anyone to be disappointed or unimpressed. But, i feel as if i owe it to myself and America to express my love for my county and share with you what some guy thought had a little bit of meaning. Because somewhere in 1251 words that i wrote, he was moved as was i while pouring out my heart into this paper. so i give you this. One of americas freedom festival winning essay for 2011. enjoy. or don't whatever tickles your fancy. 

Live for Freedom

            Freedom is the power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. What if we lived in a country that disabled us from the basic human rights we have today? What if our nation didn’t have the privileges that we are granted here in America through the Declaration of Independence; a life of freedom choice and happiness? Our Nation would benefit from a greater understanding of freedom because it would be favorable to know the how it was obtained and of the immeasurable price it has cost, how to preserve it in our country, being able to comprehend the Declaration of Independence is essential for those who posses it, and it would fabricate a stronger spirit of unity among the people of America.

         The prices that were paid to gain freedom generations ago were examples of an infinite sacrifice. America was founded on the ideas and desires that freedom included. It is something that has brought millions of hopeful people to America. Men, women and children fled to the United States seeking for the better life this country could offer. They escaped religious, racial and political persecution as well as earning relief from a great lack of economical opportunity. Ellis island, in its 62 years of operation, welcomed over 12 million immigrants into the United States.  These individuals lived, sacrificed, and died to have what so many here in this same country, take for granted today.  Freedom was something that was earned through the ultimate sacrifice. Its ample price caused much heartache, pain and cost the lives of thousands. Freedom should not be taken lightly. Like the generations of  human beings that came before us, it should be dear to the hearts of those who are privileged enough to have it.

            It is of great importance that our nation can apprehend the reality and prominence of the Declaration of Independence. Freedom was the main focus of the Declaration of Independence; it was the way the United States of America would Function and be.  Freedom was so important to the American people in 1776, nearly 235 years ago, that our founding fathers included these lines in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Our government from that July 4^th so many years ago until the present time, has revolved around those aspects of freedom, that all men are and always will be equal, and that we as a people, have the rights to life, liberty and happiness.

            The fight for freedom in our Nation goes back hundreds of years. Over the span of more than two and a quarter centuries we have fought in nearly a dozen major wars. The war of 1812, the Civil War, World War I and II, the struggle in Korea and Vietnam and the most recent war in Iraq are all potent examples of this conflict for freedom. Innumerable amounts of United States citizens and soldiers have given, and continue to give their lives for the benefit for everyone who has come here, and ultimately all of those in this world who long for a life of liberty. The total casualties in all American wars are estimated to be well over a million. This substantial number goes to show that for the entire history of The United States of American freedom has been an abiding and worthy cause for a fight. So many people today take for granted the price freedom has cost. It has cost immense pain and suffering. Blood sweat and tears have been shed for what we have today. Understanding the struggle for freedom is something that would be beneficial for all who retain it in this moment of time.

            Freedom is something that American citizens today have always known and enjoyed. The knowledge that we get live in a nation that gives us the opportunities and rights to speak for ourselves, and live our lives in the way we wish, has always been at our fingertips. In September of 2001 the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. assaulted what is most dear to American citizens, their freedom. This goes to show that the need to preserve our rights is of grave importance today just as it was in the past. Freedom is not something we are granted perpetually. It is something that should be continually earned or gained through sacrificing and fighting for what we all hold dear to our hearts. If America continues to let others take our liberty and freedom away we will, without a doubt, loose what our founding fathers wished us to have. Our Nation must have a knowledge of the importance of freedom in order to preserve it.      

            A greater understanding of freedom will help to create an appreciable spirit of unity among the citizens of the Untied States of America. For the entire history of this nation Americans have come together to defend and protect our rights. Those in many other countries are not as fortunate as we are, they struggle to obtain the basic human rights that U.S citizens so often take for granted. When we truly understand something it changes our attitudes and the way we act and think about it. With knowledge of freedom our country will not only appreciate it, we will unite to sustain it. Together Americans will see why freedom is so critical. Unity is what the U.S need in these troubling times. That significant spirit of determination that could be gained has the ability to change our county and draw it together at this great time of need.

            The United States of America is an enormously blessed country that was founded on the aspects of freedom. And that intense desire for freedom is the very chisel that sculpted America. Nation would benefit from a greater understanding of freedom because it would be favorable to know the how it was obtained and of the immeasurable price it has cost, how to preserve it in our country, being able to comprehend the Declaration of Independence, and it would fabricate a stronger spirit of unity among the people of America. Freedom in the U.S is not something that should be taken lightly. For hundreds of years it had been something that has brought millions together, to defend. Now more than ever we need to draw close as a nation and prepare for anything that may come. America is free now but it may not always be. Today it is a country wherein men are free to choose according to their own will and are entitled to special rights. It is crucial that our citizens can comprehend its great importance because there will come a day, be it next week or ten years from now that we will need to be conscious of what it means to be free. We must grasp onto the beliefs and the yearning for freedom like the brave and selfless soldiers who have made such profound sacrifices for us. It is critical to hold tight to what is dear to the American people. The entitlement to live in a country that enables its people to be whoever they choose, and have the celebrated things they do is possible because of the hunger for freedom that millions of brave people before us had. Now it’s our turn, we must live for freedom!

yours truly- nolle.