Norwalk High School - Echo Yearbook (Norwalk, WI)

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WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A AMERICAN I am an Amerlcan' Say these words slowly to yourself What happens deep msxde of you? Do 1cy l1tt1e fmngers catch your heart and turn lt over and over whxle your chest swells as you grasp the full mean1ng of the statement'7 When you turn the words over ID your mmd, exanunxng them you reallze for the f1rst txme that prevlous ly you really hadn t glven them much thought Your mmd traces back to Columbus and the dlscovery of Amerlca ln 1492 the f1rst P1lgr1ms who sa1led over on the Mayflower to escape the tyranny of England and to establ1sh r1ghts of free rel1g1on These gallant courageous people cleared the land and made settlements wh1ch were the beglnmngs of our large C1tl9S that you see today These vallant settlers braved Indlans and wmld ammll to bulld up a new and wonderful country Then qu1te suddenly, 1n 1775 came the Revolut1onary War fought by the Colon1sts aga1nst the Br1t1sh for mdependence from England In 1776 the DSCIHIBTIOH of Independence was s1gned and the Colonlsts had won When the f1rst states were formed George Washxngton entered the p1cture as the father of our country and f1rst presrdent of the Unxted States Abe L1ncoln comes to your mmd when you thmk of Wash1ngton, because he was another great pres1dent who had honesty and slncer lfy Four score and seven years ago our fathers set forth upon th1s contment a new natmon That s the Gettysburg Address you excla1m and repeat the rema1nder of the great speech aloud mentally pattmg yourself on the back for remernbermg lt From h1story your thoughts sk1p to events more recent to World War II wh1ch has Just been brought to a close Aga1n you ponder the quotat1on What 1S lt to be an Amer1can'7 And the answer It IS to feel that the home you bulld IS your castle and the whole sky of opportunxty IS as free to you as to anyone that the horrzons are not prlson walls that no man shall be denled what he has the Wlsh and the w1ll to seek unless lt belongs to another man Here 1n Amer1ca no one IS sc hmmble that he may not rrse to the peaks You are as good as anyone but no better Here the strong must protect the weak The government EXISTS not for 1ts pleasures or power but as your servant your agent your soldler to protect and lncrease your Welfare and happlness and you are part of 1t and owe rt your alleglance and serv1ce Especlally now, when the governments of all countrles are trvmg to establlsh World Peace and prevent further wars and dlscord among natwns should you take 1nto cons1derat1on what It means to be an Amer1can n such a wonderful cc untrv as Amerlca So by the blood that staxned the snow of Vallex Forge and crunsoned the seas the pra1r1es and the mountams, by tne vorces that crued ' Llberty or Death by the 1nsp1zed documents that make our hlstory by the graves of our heroes and herolnes we should swear to uphold our country tn our l1Ves and defend w th our Hves that we may earn from those who come after us the grat1tude and the honor we owe to those who have gone thls way before us Now w1th your heart burst1ng from all the wonderful th1ngs 1nher1ted by Amerlcans you should understand what It means to be an Amer1can Wr1tten by Evelyn Wruck Enghsh II ' 0 ' l I , - 1 . 1 1 , to U s a . . . I S . . n 1 . o . - ' ll 0 1 . . . vo It 1 0 slr! ----..- 7 ' 7 r Q Y 3 . . . . ll . . o 2 . 11 . . . 1 1 u . . . , 1 V s ' 0 , . u r a 1 1 ' . , , I 1 a y ,7 1 1 . . . 2 . . L . x . 19. 9 .3 : , A 1 n n I