Shelby Williams received a $200 scholarship for this essay
(MILAN, Ind.) – The Milan VFW recognized two Milan students for their winning submissions of the Voice of Democracy Essay Contest.
The contest provides high school students across the country with the unique opportunity to express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay.
The theme this year: "Is America Today Our Forefathers' Vision?"
Milan student Shelby Williams finished first in her school and received a $200 scholarship on Monday:
"Is America Today Our Forefathers' Vision?"
By: Shelby Williams
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” The pledge is a perfect example of what our Forefathers envisioned for our country, but that is exactly why today’s America does not express that. One would think that we are living out the American Dream of everyone in the nation having the freedom and opportunity of a better life, but instead, it is quite the opposite. Through the years, we have evolved. We evolved into a nation that includes a two-party system, social injustice, and fake news that is easily spread through the use of social media. Today’s America is not our Forefathers’ vision.
American politics today center around a two-party system:the Democrats and the Republicans. Though we have been utilizing this system for quite some time, it is not what our Forefathers wanted. George Washington specifically states that having a two-party system would divide and destroy the United States of America, and he was right (George Washington’s Mount Vernon). Considering this year involves a presidential election, we are able to currently see how much the two-party system has gone from being Republicans and Democrats, working together, to Republicans versus Democrats, tearing the nation in two. According to an article from The Penn State College of Liberal Art titled “Americans not only divided, but baffled by what motivates their opponents,” a poll was conducted to see what one party said about the other. Republicans stated that Democratic voters were “brainwashed by the propaganda of the mainstream media”. In turn, Democrats stated that Republicans are “uneducated and misguided people guided by what the media is feeding them” (McCourtney Institute for Democracy). Instead of having a country with a civil democracy, we have a country in which these two political parties are constantly going neck and neck with one another, treating elections more like sports competitions to be won than a means to improve the country. Our current political turmoil is exactly what Washington predicted would happen with a two-party system. Though Washington was right, this is exactly what he was trying to avoid. The Forefathers would be far from pleased if they saw how America’s political system has turned out. If they created this country without having a two-party system and we now have exactly that, how could we fulfill their vision of America? Although each party is vastly different from the other, one thing that these parties have in common is that both claim that the other party is “brainwashed by the media”.
Though the Forefathers weren’t around to see what social media is, social media has also had a hefty impact on how our America today has become. While social media can be an effective way to spread information, it is also an effective way to spread false information as well as extreme and biased information. According to “All Sides Media Bias Chart,” each different news channel has a bias, and these biases have a huge impact on how the news is worded and relayed to the public. For example, CNN is heavily biased to the left side, so they would delay information that would make the right side seem like “villains,” for lack of a better word. In a recently published article titled “Trump loyalists spew racist, vulgar attacks at NYC rally,” one is able to tell that the word choice gives off the impression that CNN is not in favor of Trump, the Republican presidential candidate. Instead of using words such as supporters, voters, etc, they used “loyalists,” which the Forefathers would not be proud to hear, considering those who were “loyalists” during the Revolutionary period were in favor of the king and remaining under the control of England. Though our forefathers worked tirelessly to ensure our nation was united, because of the way the nation isn’t working together, we may fall back into that pattern of division similar to how the colonists and loyalists were. In another article produced by Fox News, a right biased news channel, there was an article published that states “Kamala Harris’ closing argument ‘reeks of desperation’ .” Whether Harris' closing argument was well-rounded or not, to say that it “reeks of desperation” is a very rude remark to make towards the Democratic candidate. Our Forefathers intended all those involved in the running of the country to work together, and the attitudes we see in place today effectively work against that goal. Thomas Jefferson envisioned peace. John Adams envisioned a glorious future. John Jay envisioned a stable society. Benjamin Franklin envisioned freedom. However, that is nowhere near resembled today.
On July 4, 1776, the United States of America was a new nation of prosperity and freedom. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Samuel Adams, and Patrick Henry created a nation that 248 years later would turn into a social-media-driven, two-party political system that has turned the country into chaos. In the pledge of allegiance we claim, “…one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” which is what the Forefathers envisioned, but we have a long way to go before we can realize their dream.
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