[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 38 (Thursday, March 8, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E353-E354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ESSAY BY MAXIMILLIAN McELLIGOTT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 8, 2012

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to interact with some of the 
brightest students in the 22nd Congressional District who serve on my 
Congressional Youth Advisory Council. I have gained much by listening 
to the high school students who are the future of this great Nation. 
They provide important insight into the concerns of our younger 
constituents and hopefully get a better sense of the importance of 
being an active participant in the political process. Many of the 
students have written short essays on a variety of topics and I

[[Page E354]]

am pleased to share these with my House colleagues.
  Maximillian McElligott is a junior at Clear Springs High School in 
Galveston County, Texas. His essay topic is: Select an important event 
that has occurred in the past 50 years and explain how that event has 
changed our country. Maximillian chose the Cold War.

       The Cold War had numerous effects on America that led to 
     prosperity in not just the American political machine but 
     also in the everyday society. One well-known effect is the 
     putting together of National Aeronautical and Space 
     Administration or NASA.
       During the 1950s, both the Soviets and Americans were in a 
     so called ``Space Race''. The goal was simple: Be the first 
     to space. The Soviets were the first to achieve this goal by 
     successfully launching their rocket, Sputnik I, into space. 
     In response to the possible threats of nuclear war and the 
     new Soviet technology of long range missiles, the United 
     States founded the National Aeronautical and Space 
     Administration or NASA. The ``Sputnik Crisis'', as it was 
     called sent a shockwave through the United States. For once, 
     we weren't the first to accomplish something that hadn't been 
     done yet. NASA's early goals consisted of getting to space, 
     and then once John F. Kennedy was elected in the early 1960s, 
     the goal changed to putting a man on the moon by the end of 
     the decade.
       The dream of putting a man on the moon was accomplished 
     quickly by landing a man on the moon, July 20th, 1969. That 
     single day in history where over 500 million people worldwide 
     watched as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took mankind's 
     first steps on the moon. The first manned moon landing opened 
     the door for future space explorations such as missions to 
     other planets, other planets moons, and possibly other 
     galaxies which wouldn't have come as quick as they had 
     without the so called ``Russian Initiative''.
       Another immediate effect in the public school system was 
     the majority of the focus was situated onto math and science 
     based criteria. The government had planned to get youths more 
     excited and intrigued by the new policies. The country went 
     through a technological boom to close out the century. New 
     inventions such as the cell phone, World Wide Web, computer 
     storage units, etc.
       Looking back over the Cold War, it was a stepping stone of 
     greatness to where we are today with both our education and 
     technological advances. Through the ups and downs the space 
     race worked in our favor to give our country a head start on 
     the essentials to become an even stronger, more diverse world 
     superpower. If we as a country had not gone through the Cold 
     War and had succumbed to letting communism make its way 
     throughout the world, the United States would be far behind 
     when it came to superiority.

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