Thoughts on American Ideals
The following article is actually a portion of a journal entry written by a student who went on the field trip to Washington, D.C. last June with Patty Huey and Laurie Akehurst. Each student who went on the trip was asked by his or her teacher to keep a daily journal. Since the students were virtually surrounded with history, patriotism, American monuments and discussions on our Christian American heritage, the teachers encouraged the students to share their thoughts on America, what being an American means and the uniqueness of our country. We urged the students to share their deep innermost thoughts rather than simply writing down the happenings of the day. Eddie Hahn's journal entry, we felt, accomplished this goal. Eddie Hahn, who is 15 years old, has been homeschooled since first grade. - Patricia Huey, Teacher Consultant
By: Eddie Hahn, Student

The American dream: life. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." These ideals make America unique. The ideals of a country are what drive it towards its destiny. Of course, one country's ideals are affected by another country's ideals, such as the Germany-U.S. conflict of ideals in World War II. The ideals of those countries actually determined the outcome of the conflict. God's will determines all, and God has put into place ideals to influence his people so that they can overcome their adversaries.

This is what separates America from any other nation-- her ideals! America is one of the only Christian nations left on earth; from her beginning she has been shaped and guided by Christian ideals and dreams, by Christian hopes and optimism, by Christian desires for unity between brothers and sisters, by Christian faith that binds together in fighting its enemies, by Christian ideas of justice, equality and mercy, and by Christian ideas of striving for significance in life and love for one another.

These ideals are why America has had such culture clashes in its history. America has gone against communism because communism requires unity of purpose between people who have no real connection and do not care about each other; therefore, there is no real unity. This very idea of not caring for one another is what caused the evil of slavery in our country, which America fought against and continues to fight against. Americans realize that slavery violates human rights. Rights are not guaranteed in other countries. In fact, people can continue to live even without them. But without certain rights, life is not life in the true spiritual sense. The American ideal shows that living without certain rights is not a life worth living. Without these rights, we cease to be truly free.

American ideals allow God to provide for and guide them in the search for true freedom. American ideals and freedom are truly unique on earth. I, for one, am proud to be a part of this great nation.

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