What Makes America Great?

Area students, as part of Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy, explain what it is that Makes America Great

Editor’s Note:

The essays printed in the Saratoga Sun are the first of three from Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy contestants who placed in the top three spots.

Look for future essays in subsequent issues of the Sun.

By Anthony Campbell

What makes America great is our Constitution which gives us freedom in many different ways. Freedom is one of the most important things in this world. The freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and the freedom to vote are very important in America. If these freedoms were not a thing, then America would not be as great as it is today.

The Constitution’s first amendment is the freedom of speech. The freedom of speech makes America fantastic. People are able to speak whenever they would like. Thomas Jefferson said, The only security of all is in a free press.” In some other countries you cannot speak freely. Freedom of speech is very important in the everyday life.

The second amendment allows us to own guns freely. By being able to own guns freely we are able to protect ourselves from danger. “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery,” said Thomas Jefferson. If the second amendment and the first were not created we could not protect ourselves from potential tyranny.

American citizens are able to vote for leaders. In 1869, the Fifteenth Amendment prohibited the government from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen’s “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”. Wyoming was the first ever state to allow women to vote. It wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 when all of the Americans were able to vote freely. The right to vote is important because it allows people to choose which leaders guide America.

America’s Constitution gives us many types of freedom. Freedom makes America how it is. If there were no freedom in America, then people would not be allowed to do a lot of things. The first and second amendments keep Americans from tyranny. The right to vote is what lets us choose our leaders. America is great because our Constitution gives us freedom in many different ways.

By Kamry Knotwell

What makes America great? So many things run through our minds when we try to explain what makes the United States of America the greatest country on earth. I truly believe that America is blessed with countless opportunities. There are opportunities to help expand and better ourselves. Opportunities for the young and old, native born and legal immigrants, men and women, and people of all ethnicities is what makes America one of a kind. Our country functions and thrives off of the new and incredible things that have been set before us. That’s what makes America great.

Due to opportunities in education, our country has been able to move forward with technology. With this, there are so many ways we have improved ourselves as a nation to be successful. Future generations will be granted with the education they need. America is known as the melting pot, which is wondrous, as it allows everyone getting an education to be around many different demographics. This betters us as it provides us to learn how to work and communicate with others who have totally different perspectives from us. The opportunity for education equips us as individuals to go out and change the world and keep advancing to something amazing that awaits each and everyone of us. That’s what makes America great.

Education gives us the opportunity to go out and get phenomenal jobs and do what sets our souls on fire. If what you are doing isn’t exciting you, nobody will judge you if you need to reset, readjust, and refocus, all because of something called opportunity. With advancement, our country allows so many more job opportunities. We can go to college to get an education about anything that inspires us. All kinds of jobs are needed to keep this stupendous country functioning. No matter if you are a doctor, lawyer, hairdresser, rancher, mechanic or fighting for our freedom, you are needed and appreciated. From the time we are little, we get to dream and imagine what we want to do with our life, and then we officially make that choice to go out and do it, all because of something called opportunity. Opportunity has created so many beautiful things in this country. That’s what makes America great.

Freedom and opportunity go hand in hand. Due to freedom, we get once in a lifetime opportunities. We each are different people and here in America, we can embrace it.Whether you want to live in a rural or urban place, you can choose. We can live how we want to, we can raise our families how we want to, and we can just be ourselves. The opportunity of choice enables us to do what is best for us. That is incredible. We aren’t forced to work a certain job, live a certain place, or have a certain amount of children. All because of opportunity. That’s what makes America great.

Without opportunity, we, the American citizens, would get to experience nothing as great as we get to today. With opportunity comes experience, which leads to goals, which leads to success and failure, which brings us wisdom. That is what we want to be, wise. We often times take opportunities we are blessed with for granted. Today, I want you to look back and see where opportunities have taken you. Without them, where would you be today? All because of opportunity, America is great.

 

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