Our ancestors came to America for freedom and established a system of government with liberties that had never been seen before. Throughout history, the United States has fought many wars to protect these freedoms for citizens. Learning from the past shows that war may be inevitable as countries will always have differing beliefs and ambitions that could threaten others' freedom. However, the US has maintained its independence for over 300 years by defending its values on foreign soils. Passing on an understanding of this history is key to appreciating all the sacrifices that have allowed future generations to enjoy life in a free country.

1. Samuel Ennis 1
Essay Title: Our American Heritage and Our Responsibility for Preserving It.
Focus Question: What does our past tell us about our future?
America is a relatively new country, yet our heritage is so prodigious. Our ancestors left
England so they could have freedoms, freedoms we still maintain today. However, securing these
freedoms, and now preserving them, is a difficult task. Our founding fathers rebelled against
their mother country so they could maintain these freedoms, but doing so was an act of treason.
How then can we look proudly upon what they did? The answer is simple. They did what no
other colonies controlled by England had the courage to do. They fought back against English
rule, to gain the freedom they came over for in the first place. They bonded together and fought a
war, to which they statistically had no chance of winning. Their passion and determination for
freedom propelled them. It gave them the adrenaline rush to fight. George Washington took these
common men, made them into soldiers, and defied the odds just so all citizens, of what would
become the United States, could maintain the freedoms they sought in the first place. They
continued and created a system of government that had never been seen before, a republic. One
in which common people had a voice. That voice was brought to congress and laws were to be
made that the people wanted, and some were made to ensure the freedoms they already worked
so hard for. Fast forward in history and there are many wars, all whose purpose was to protect
the United States citizens, and freedoms we created for our citizens. Going to war is never a
wanted thing for any nation. It means money, casualties, and the potential to lose. However, the
United States has stood strong for 328 years now. Fighting battle after battle to ensure that what
was established on July 4, 1776 remains for many years to come. This means that unfortunately
war in the future is inevitable. Countries are so different in their beliefs that they are always
going to offend some nation. There is also always the possibility that a nation will want to
conquer more territory to become stronger as well. The world wars were fought to prevent one
nation from taking over a whole continent. A power this great could control every other country.
Therefore, we went to foreign soil to prevent such an event from occurring. We can learn a great
deal from our past. Everyone learns from mistakes, and history allows us to see what we should
and shouldn’t do in the future. We can also see the struggle our country has gone through to
protect the rights of our citizens. This is why patriotism is so important. Supporting and
believing in our country is the best thing we can do. We are fortunate enough to have many
things that other countries do not. One of the best ways to show our patriotism and support, is to
be proud of our troops that are constantly fighting to ensure we continue to have the freedoms we
hold so dear. Making sure future generations understand all the history our country has is very
important. Our history is what makes our country so great, and it is important for future
generations to realize all the work done in the past has created the opportunity for them to have a
future.