Dear America by Eva

Dear America by Eva - November 2021 Scholarship Essay

Dear America,
I’m writing this letter to inform you of some concerns I have pertaining to the education of our youth. You see, we have strayed away from teaching the foundations of history that our country was built on. History classes are instead filled with debates of democrat vs republican, black vs white, rich vs poor. We cannot continue on this way if our country is to have any future. We must know who we are as Americans. We must learn our history.
The subject of history has been placed on the backburner in many schools. Math and reading have taken its place as they are regarded as more important. Because of this, our country’s future hangs in the balance. How are we to improve as a nation if we do not know our past? By straying away from history we have betrayed our founding fathers. Imagine how disappointed they would be to learn that the future of our country is ignorant to the struggles and hardships our young nation once faced?
Not knowing America’s history comes with many repercussions, including; less patriotism, being unfamiliar with your constitutional rights, and the danger of history repeating itself. Is this what we want our future generations to be founded on? These consequences are the exact opposite of what our country needs in upcoming generations.
When you look at our nation today, you see a nation divided. A nation that does not consider their fellow Americans as friends. A nation that has strayed away from its original principles; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To some, our country’s very flag is considered “offensive”, would this be if we had learned the true hardships it took to become America? We are to be proud of our country and all it has accomplished. There is no use in a nation whose people do not respect our own flag.
As Americans we are expected to know our rights, and to prevent the government from overstepping those very rights. Without a solid history education our children are going into the world unaware of what the government can and cannot do. This allows our very government to do as they please. Slowly our constitutional rights will be taken from us and the future generations will be unaware. How are you to recognize the loss of your rights when they are unknown to you to begin with? Our “free” country will begin to disappear right before our eyes.
History repeats itself. It always has and it always will. Learning about our nation’s past can help us prevent this repetitive nature and protect our country. How devastating would it be if we were to repeat slavery, civil war, and holocausts? We would be going backwards in time instead of advancing with the rest of the world. This becomes a strong possibility when you send young adults out into the world with a weak history education.
America is at a crossroads, can we come together for the benefit of our nation? History needs to be brought to the forefront of education and be instilled in us from elementary school and beyond. This change will only benefit this country as America will in turn be more patriotic and protected. Can we implement this small change in order to save our country? I guess what I’m trying to say is, America, where do we go from here?

Sincerely,
The Future of America