Suring senior wins state essay contest

A Suring High School senior has been named the state winner of the annual Voice of Democracy essay and speaking competition sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Sophie Lally now advances to the national level after finishing first at both the district and state level competitions. She is the first student from Suring High School to achieve this honor.

Established in 1947, the Voice of Democracy program is designed to provide high school students with the opportunity to express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay. The VFW says nearly 40,000 students from across the country in grades nine through 12 enter to win their share of $2.1 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program.

This year’s theme is “Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned?” In addition to the essay, the students were required to submit an audio file delivering the essay as an address.

The national first-place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. The first-place winner from each VFW Department (state) wins a minimum scholarship of $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.

Here is Sophie Lally’s winning essay.

Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned?

Thomas Jefferson sat down at his desk, his heart beating in his chest as he dipped his quill into the ink. His hand shook as he moved it, pausing above the paper. He suddenly found himself frozen, the weight of what he was about to write had sunk in. He was drafting the very document that would give the country he had seen rise from nothing, its independence from England. The next words he would write would become the foundation of everything that count1y would represent, all of the values it would hold, and what the people of that country would stand for.

His head filled with visions of people celebrating, living in freedom, with opportunities abounding. He finally put the quill to the paper and wrote, “A Declaration of the Representation of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”

While nobody knows exactly how this moment looked, l am sure it was filled with hope. After many years of living without representation, a long war, and many men killed, the idea of forming a new country with more freedom, representation, and rights than any other country in the world, must have been exciting.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” This firm belief that freedom is a basic right has been shown in the importance that is put on the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to bear arms, and freedom of religion.

On Nov. 11, 1620, the Mayflower arrived in America. This ship was full of people who had been willing to endure not only years of oppression for their religion, but also two months of sickness, storms, and dangerous conditions on the water. That arrival in America marked a new beginning for these people, one where they could speak openly about the God they believed in without being criticized, persecuted, or even killed. This freedom was so important to young America that it was put in the very first amendment of The Constitution.

In America today, we are still allowed to practice any religion, however, we are not allowed to always openly speak about that religion in our schools, and places of work. This is not the execution of the First Amendment as the Founding Fathers had once intended.

James Otis once said, “Taxation without representation, is tyranny.” After living for years without representation in the government of the country that ruled them, the Founding Fathers knew that in their country, everyone needed to have a voice. These men wanted a country in which it was OK to publicly share your opinion on issues that matter to you and have those opinions and values represented by the elected men and women of your county, district, or state. This aspect of the Founding Fathers’ vision is how our government functions to this day.

Many men and women have continually chosen to sacrifice their time, energy, and even lives for the country that we live in. The freedoms that the Founding Fathers wanted for the new Americans weren’t just given to our country. Soldiers had to battle through harsh weather, diseases, and death that seemed to never end, simply for the right to create their own country.

After fighting so long and hard for the freedoms Americans now enjoy, the Founding Fathers would have assumed that Americans today would be appreciative and thankful for this gift. However, many have become so used to these freedoms that they take them for granted, ignoring the work and sacrifice of those who did and are still fighting to keep it that way.

Many young Americans have grown up with so much freedom, comfort and security that they are unable to understand what it would be like to live in a country without those freedoms. This is not the appreciation the Founding Fathers would have expected from a country founded on freedom.

As Americans, take this opportunity to pause and appreciate the things that you take for granted. Spend time with your family, thank a soldier or a veteran, respect those who protect your freedoms, and be kind. These simple acts can guarantee that no matter what others are doing, you can help ensure that the country we are living in represents the country the Founding Fathers once hoped to create.