This is my first composition for my Grammer and Composition class.
This summer, to balance the heat, drowning Cicadas, and three exhausting vacations I read American history. As it turned out, the reading provided me with just the right kind of distraction. Most of my time I spent on the Revolutionary War and Colonial period of our history. My reading of American history gave me some much needed quiet moments that I enjoyed immensely. I found plenty of “food” for thought among the pages and a patriotism I hope to remember for a long time.
People make history, and history makes a people. This aspect of history I particularly enjoy. I relished in the menagerie of interesting characters that crossed my path while reading. To me, history and a theatrical play have much in common. History places its characters on the “stage” of life to “play” their role in American history. When their part is finished, each character then makes way for the next “actor” or “actress”. Also, I found great satisfaction in witnessing the beginnings of our country from the safety of my own time. As I sat comfortably in my armchair, I could become a part of the strife and fear of those people while all the time knowing how things would turn out for them.
Not only did I learn about people from the past, but I also learned something about myself. My summer of history gave me the sense that as an American, I share in the rich heritage of the people who made America. I can feel pride in the Pilgrims’ fortitude and respect George Washington as I might a grandfather. This patriotism, joined with the knowledge of the early Americans’ struggle for freedom, supports me in my own struggle for freedom. John Adams’ confidence encourages me to stand up for my own faith and values. History reassures me that determination and fortitude pay off.
America of my lifetime appears to me quite differently from how history remembers it. Headlines from this summer, on the “CNN” news website, gave one plenty of scandal and violence, but did not manage to convey any of the beauty or liberty that our founding fathers built as our foundation. It seems that our country, or at least our media, has forgotten its history. Over this summer, I have discovered for myself a part of “America the beautiful”. This recovering of truth has brought to my summer many blessings and joy. In my imagination John Adams sits across from me. Leaning back in his chair, he nods his head in approval.