[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 31, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           ESSAYS ON FREEDOM

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                         HON. DAVID M. McINTOSH

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 31, 1998

  Mr. McINTOSH. Mr. Speaker, recently I had the pleasure of hearing 
three essays from three young students in Madison County. I wish to 
share these essays with my colleagues and the American people. The 
essays show a key understanding of the principles upon which our great 
nation was founded. Our country will continue to prosper if future 
generations, like these young students, hold dear to one of our 
cherished American values . . . Freedom. God Bless America.

                        What Freedom Means to Me

                           (By Danny Breeden)

       It is hard for me to explain what freedom means to me 
     because I have always been free. So were my parents, grand-
     parents, and many of my ancestors. So, when I want to think 
     about being free I need to think about people who are not 
     free. I think about; Hebrew slaves under the Egyptian 
     pharaohs, the colonists before the Revolutionary War, 
     American slaves before the Civil War, and the Jewish people 
     under Hitler in Germany in the 1940's. I am sure today that 
     there are still people in the world who are not free.
       The Hebrews did not have any rights. Some of them could not 
     even eat, drink, and sleep when they wanted to. They also 
     didn't have the right to worship who and when they wanted to.
       The colonists were oppressed by the king. They were heavily 
     taxed and were not allowed to meet about town problems. Also 
     they were not allowed to worship the way wanted to.
       The Jews and the slaves were beaten, tortured, and even 
     killed. They were also not allowed to speak or worship 
     freely.
       You know, when you think about it there is always a war 
     when a group of people want to be free. It's not fair. 
     Innocent men and women die for their freedom and the freedom 
     of their families.

                        What Freedom Means to Me

                           (By Staci Johnson)

       Basically, what freedom means to me is to have a choice. 
     The choice to live where we want, work where we want, worship 
     how we want, and much more.
       In America, we have a lot of freedoms. We can have as many 
     children as we please, whereas some countries can't. In some 
     countries if they have more than one child, they would have 
     to kill them.
       We also have the freedom to go to church wherever we wish 
     to or believe in whatever kind of God we choose. Along with 
     this freedom, we have the choice to own the Bible. We can 
     read it any time we want. Some countries like China doesn't 
     allow the Bible or the freedom of religion. If you bring a 
     Bible into China you are most likely to be put in prison.
       Also in America, we have the right to voice our opinion. We 
     can speak against the government without a fear of going to 
     jail or a fear of being killed. We have the freedom to speak 
     out in favor of what we want, desire, or need. We have the 
     freedom to vote on who we want to be the leaders of our 
     country. We also have the freedom to vote privately. We can 
     vote for a Democrat or a Republican to be the leaders of our 
     country.
       Parents have the freedom of choice in education for their 
     children. They can homeschool them, send them to private 
     school, or send them to public school.
       We can travel freely from state to state whenever we wish 
     to without fear because of our freedom.
       We also have the opportunity to try for any kind of job we 
     want. We can quit a job if it is not the right one for us or 
     if a better one comes along.
       We can go to a grocery store or a mall whenever we need or 
     want. We can buy whatever we shall please to buy. We can buy 
     the food we want or the clothes we desire and much more.
       We have so many freedoms. We are the most blessed country 
     in the world. We should be grateful for what we can do and 
     what we have. I love freedom, don't you?

                        What Freedom Means to Me

                            (By Andy Rogers)

       When I hear the word ``freedom'' I think of times in 
     American history when all people did not possess freedom. 
     Slavery allowed human beings to be bought and sold as if they 
     were just property. Slaves had only freedoms that their 
     owners approved of. When America was colonized, Indians had 
     lots of freedom, living and hunting where they pleased. As 
     more white settlers came and invaded Indian territory, Indian 
     freedom was whittled away until they were forced to live on 
     reservations.
       As a twelve-year old it is amazing to think I have more 
     freedom than any adult slave or Indian. I have the freedom of 
     choice because I can choose my friends, the things I wear to 
     school, and how I spend my free time. I enjoy the freedom of 
     speech because I can say what I think and talk about subjects 
     I like. I have the freedom of religion because I can praise 
     God freely and don't have to hide to worship him.
       As a preteen I cannot enjoy as many freedoms as adults 
     because I cannot vote, own land, get a job, or drive a car, 
     the list goes on. But some of these freedoms I would not want 
     because they are a lot of responsibility for a kid like me. 
     There are other freedoms I cannot enjoy yet for safety 
     reasons.
       As I mature, my parent's give me more freedom. I look 
     forward to the time when I become independent. Then I can 
     live on my own and do what I want when I want to do it.
       One freedom that is usually not thought of is man's free 
     will. This is a freedom that every human being has whether 
     they are slave, Indian, child, or adult. Free will is God's 
     most important freedom to man. It enables man to choose 
     everlasting life by believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior, 
     and choosing to follow His will for our life.
       I am so thankful to God for all the freedoms He has given 
     me, but especially the gift of free will which lets me choose 
     the ultimate freedom--heaven.

     

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