Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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Graduation Essays THE OBLIGATION OF THE AMERICAN CITIZEN By George Senseney M ANY years ago, a small band of voyagers landed on the shores of Massachusetts. Persecuted and oppress- ed in their native land, they had wan- dered haplessly from one country to another, forever in search of a land where they might practice their beliefs free from political restraint. After years of wanderings they undertook the voyage to the New World. They did not come in search of gold or other material riches, but in search of the riches of freedom. These pilgrims were typical of the surge of immigrants who were to follow in years to come, all in search of a new life of freedom and happiness. Those who followed were from every nation, large and small. Peoples from western Europe settled along the surg- ing frontiers and formed the backbone of the mighty westward movement. Peoples from England and France ■settled along the eastern coast and northern borders of the United States and Canada, while the Spanish conquer- ors took all the south and west. Then, with the coming of the Industrial Revo- lution in the nineteenth century, much cheap labor was brought from southern Europe, e. g. Greece, Italy, and Ru- mania. Thus we see that our country is made up of a huge assorted mixture of all the countries of the world. Each and every one had different customs, different creeds, different ways of life. From this amorphous mass was formed the modern American nation, with every citizen in it not a Frenchman, nor an Englishman, not a Greek, nor an Italian, but something entirely new and differ- ent — an American. Some of us fail to realize and appre- ciate the freedom we enjoy as Ameri- cans. Since the day our Constitution was framed, the people of the United States have enjoyed more freedom of thought and action than any other na- tion in the world. Our Constitution still remains the greatest document on human liberty ever written. We as citizens of the United States, enjoy a freedom of speech and of the press which endows us with a liberty en joyed by few. Where else in the world can one read a newspaper in which the views of the people are so clearly expressed or where there is so sincere an attempt to represent truth in so far as it can be determined in the welter of modern events? We may read the latest news from over seas or the news of the internal business of our country, free and uncensored. We have a strong voice in the gov- ernment ctf our country. We elect 24

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Housewives washing and cooking and mending and doing all the seemingly- small jobs that women do and get little credit for, but which accom- plish a great deal because they are unselfishly done, Clammers and fishermen hauling a hard- earned living from the sea,- All these occupations and more are being done under your elms whose branches stretch to heaven, Beside your river pursuing its winding but persistent course through marshes with salt hay and creeks to the At- lantic coast, Where the staunch land and powerful ocean meet each other in one splurge of Nature’s beauty: White sand soothing to the bare feet of myriads of people in the summer- time, And briny bay with white breakers and deep shadows that I try to paint as deep green But when I look again, the color has changed to blue or gray with dark shadows pursuing each other between the rolling waves, And I cannot paint it, but only won- der about the Person who could have created such a marvelous thing as an ocean, Welcome at all seasons of the year: Inviting for an icy plunge on a hot day, or a boat ride through the choppy waves, And beautiful and ever-changing and fragrant of salt just to behold and inhale in the autumn or winter. Village of so much beauty and mean- ing that I cannot express, The Indians simply called you Aga- wam, A name in which they summed up all the fading past, the glowing present, and the future Predicted by the seagulls, soaring high above, gliding down oni the wind and swooping up again. In their wild graceful beauty, and their whiteness, symbol of hope. Ruth Wilson ’42 23

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representatives to express our views and uphold our rights in the legislatures. Yet despite the inestimable value of our vote, many Americans neglect their duty and fail to vote at the elections. With- out the support of the people, how can a democratic government function prop- erly? Our working conditions are the best, and our standard of living the highest of any country in the world. The eight hour day with time and a half for over- time is enjoyed almost universally. We enjoy our sports and other recreations in playgrounds and field owned and operated by the community. The home life of the American is the most free and happy to be found anywhere in the world. A varied cli- mate and a high standard of living ren- der it the healthiest possible. Our free educational system provides for the edu- cation of the youth of the nation in the principles of democracy and in the part they must play in the future wel- fare of the country and its people. Yet there is always a high price to be paid for freedom, for it is the most valuable of all commodities. The up- keep of the government necessitates the expenditures of money which must be gained by taxation. Money must be raised to pay for peace time pursuits, for new means of communication, for roads, tunnels, and shipyards. The only satisfactory method of raising the mon- ey is through taxation. Through taxa- tion, the government is enabled to make use of more of our national resources, thus decreasing our dependency upon outside sources for raw materials. At present, taxation, though heavy, is des- tined to become much heavier because we as a nation are menaced by a foreign power whose ideas conflict dangerously with our own. Our duty in this respect is to pay as cheerfully as possible, real- izing that the privileges we enjoy can- not be estimated in terms of money. We doubt if the British are doing much grumbling these days at their high tax rate. No price is too high for them if their liberties are preserved. The American citizen owes it to his government also to report regularly at the polls to vote. In order for more perfect understanding between the gov- ernment and the people, each citizen must express his views. To lose our rights through defeat in war would be deplorable; but to lose them through indolence or indifference would be in- excusable. The proper function of de- mocracy, as we have said, requires that every citizen exercise his privilege to vote and to participate in his govern- ment. The Amercan citizen, above all, how- ever, owes loyalty and allegiance to his country, for America has nourished him and America has protected him. In this time of upheaval and conflict the cooperation of the American citizen is needed to the fullest possible extent be- cause the nation as a whole is united in a great national defense effort. We 25