Being American means being free. Being free means we choose who represents us, we have a voice, and if we use it, we can be heard. This freedom is part of the foundation of the United States, it’s why we can choose to believe in what we believe in, and why we can all share our own opinions, whether we agree or disagree with each other. It states in the Bill of Rights that we have the freedom of religion, assembly, press, petition, and speech (Madison). Without these rights, there wouldn’t be equality, there wouldn’t be diversity, there wouldn’t be uniqueness. This is what makes America so special. The fact that, even if so many people disagree with each other, we are still unrestricted to feel comfortable with what we believe in. But are we still really the free country we came along to be? There will always be something to contradict our beliefs, but even with the contradictions, there are many ways people are still free in America.
Equality is apart of what makes America free. With recent events, people have been using their voices. If we have the right, why not use it? People have been using their voices to change gun policies, to gain with who they want to love, to make change with equality in genders, and so much more. America is a free country, but the people within it are still trying to find ways to use that freedom to feel equal, to feel open to be who they want to be, to feel unobstructed to love who the want, and to feel safe from danger. This is the equality that we say we have, but don’t. The changes are coming as people are starting to express their views and beliefs because they are realizing the independence that they have.
In conclusion, I believe freedom is a core value of America that everyone in the United States lives by. This is the reason why there may be disagreements in discussions, because we are free to disagree, and why we are free to try to make changes in our country, we have the right, and why we can be the independent people thanks to the freedom. If you are in America, you are free.
Eckstein, Yael. “The Value of Freedom.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Oct. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/yael-eckstein/the-value-of-freedom_b_5658129.html.
U.S. Constitution. Art./Amend.Tags: Okemos High School