Letters: Four siblings express gratitude for America’s 250th
Letters to the editor
Editor’s note: These four letters were submitted by the writers’ mother, who asked that we use first names only.
How we should remember America’s 250th
As I am entering 6th grade, I think that it is important to remember July 4th, 1776. On that day, 250 years ago, the Founding Fathers finalized and signed the Declaration of Independence. A few months earlier, on May 17th, 1776, America’s Founding Fathers gathered to pray and read the Bible at Carpenter’s Hall.
At that gathering, John Hancock was the president of the Continental Congress – a meeting of the de facto leadership of the American colonies – and led delegates including people like John Adams, Samuel Adams, and Robert Paine. These people are among those brave men who prayerfully wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence, and America was born. One fun way to learn about some of these important events in our history is through the animated series “The Tuttle Twins” and also their magazines.
We should all take the opportunity to celebrate and share how thankful we are for these United States of America on our 250th birthday. Happy birthday, America!
Othniel
American Christianity today
As I enter ninth grade, I’m prompted to look back at the precarious history of our nation. After the Wild West, the Trail of Tears, the Civil War, Prohibition, the Great Depression, World Wars, and other significant events, I marvel at how we arrived at our 250th anniversary, scarred but still whole.
In America, we have the opportunity to influence our world. As Christians, we are specifically called to bring light and healing, to build each other up, and to preserve life. We may be tempted to think that in this vastly different world, the Constitution – and the Bible – don’t apply today, but that is not true.
Christ called us to submit to authority and to pray for our leaders, but also to stand up and call out unrighteousness. Our actions and inaction are each ours to take responsibility for. I am a proud Floridian, American, and child of God. I’ve discovered the Tuttle Twins books, which teach important social, economic, and historical concepts. They have helped shape my view as an American. I challenge everyone who sees this letter to read the Bible and our founding documents and reflect on the history of these United States of America.
Shiloh
Proposal for a Day of Remembrance
As we observe the 250th anniversary of the American Independence Day, we should all slow down to research and reflect on significant moments in our nation’s history.
As I enter 11th grade, I believe it is essential to understand our history. The old saying goes, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
In America, we live under a form of government that the Founders called a democratic republic. The burden to know and understand the fundamentals of our history and the workings of our government lies on the American people themselves.
Most Americans know next to nothing about our history, but a wealth of resources is available for those willing to look. The Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and United States Constitution are available through the National Archives website. In addition, PragerU, Hillsdale College, and the Tuttle Twins Academy offer online courses on American history, government, and economics. Finally, the White House’s substantial Freedom 250 initiative includes a video series about the Founding Fathers and the Story of America. Consequently, I propose a local day of remembrance on July 11th, for people to research, discuss, and reflect on our magnificent history with their families.
Ezekiel
American heroism
As a rising sophomore at the University of Florida, I wanted to encourage you and your newspaper to feature stories of American heroism to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday.
So many modern publications seem to only focus on the imperfections of our country’s founders. It would be refreshing if the Alachua Chronicle published stories from America’s history that focus on heroism in spite of people’s imperfect humanity.
Resources like the Tuttle Twins books and TV shows do a faithful job of telling these stories. As a country, we need stories that remind us how difficult times spurred ordinary Americans to rise up as heroes when they could’ve just taken a back seat.
Everyday people like Nathan Hale, Edward Snowden, Anna Smith Strong, and Reverend John Rankin are examples of Americans who let their convictions become more than just opinions. They took action. Their goal was not to divide people. They just loved their fellow Americans enough to take incredible risks and sacrifice their lives for their God and country. That is the foundation that America is built on. Now more than ever, we need stories like this to unite our nation and help us remember who we are.
Gideon
The opinions expressed by letter or opinion writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AlachuaChronicle.com. Assertions of facts in letters are similarly the responsibility of the author. Letters may be submitted to info@alachuachronicle.com and are published at the discretion of the editor.
It’s encouraging and humbling to see some of our youth researching our nation’s history and seeing the incredible gift we’ve been given as Americans. May we be as wise and brave to defend it, and to make it better, as many of those before us were.
Shiloh, I marvel at the events you referenced. At seventy-one years old, I think about the wild west, in the time of my great-grandfather. The wildness seems to me to be an echo of the civil war…..battle scarred veterans who could not go home, but brought the hell of that experience with them wherever they ended up. They could not go home maybe because it had been destroyed. They could not go home maybe because war had made some of them nuts. I read a story Ray Bradbury wrote, about the civil war, with your name in the title! “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh”, Shannon Boal, Waldo
Thank you for your letter.
This is an important book that might interest you as well.
A People’s History of the United States is a landmark 1980 nonfiction book by historian and activist Howard Zinn that chronicles American history from the “bottom up.” Unlike traditional narratives that emphasize great men in high places, Zinn focuses on the experiences of America’s women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers.
The book argues that many of the nation’s greatest battles—such as those for fair wages, universal suffrage, and racial equality—were driven by grassroots social movements against bloody resistance from entrenched power structures. Zinn posits that historical change is primarily the result of mass movements of ordinary people rather than the actions of political elites.