“The True Meaning of The National Anthem” Rough Draft. “When we hear the national anthem, it is a call to honor our country and its history.” The national anthem, also called “The Star-Spangled Banner,” has been a fundamental part of United States history since it was first written by United States attorney Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of 1812. This song, which was first merely a poem recalling the events of an attack by the British against Fort McHenry, an American fort built in Baltimore, became a staple in American history. However, various organizations have begun protesting this display of national pride and independence. Those who engage in these senseless acts of defiance against their country claim that by doing this, they …show more content…
It is not something to be joked about or made fun of. All physically able citizens should stand for the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” because it shows respect for members of the armed forces, creates and displays a feeling of unity, and represents the values of justice and liberty for all. When you stand for the national anthem, you are actively honoring past and present armed forces members. Millions of men and women have enlisted in the military to fight for the freedom of the American people even before America gained independence from Great Britain in 1776. Whether it is the Army, Navy, National Guard, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Air National Guard, each branch has been used for hundreds of years to fight for American independence. One popular misconception is that since a large majority of Americans will never enlist in the army or another branch of the military, there is no way for them to honor and thank the American heroes who have fought for their freedom. This is completely untrue. “Americans have stood for the U.S. flag since June 14, 1777, the day the Continental Congress declared that ‘the flag of the (thirteen) United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in …show more content…
By standing for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” citizens are actively showing their support for the country and its principles of justice and liberty. “We stand not because of past or present pain caused by injustice, but to salute the principle of justice. patriotism is pride in the principles that paved the way for change, whether that change was trading royalty for representation in 1776 or exchanging enslavement for emancipation in 1863.” (Cook). By stating this, the author of this article proves her point that standing for the playing of the national anthem is a method of showing support for the country’s founding morals, even if one may not agree with actions taken by government officials. Standing for the playing of the national anthem is important as a citizen of the United States because it displays respect for armed forces members, demonstrates a feeling of patriotism and unity, and represents the fundamental national values of justice and liberty for all. Some argue that kneeling for the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a positive thing, as it reinforces the values of free speech and free protest. However, as Americans, it is our duty to
They were attacking some of America’s forts. Instead of fighting back, the American's hung the American flag out to symbolize their freedom. All night, the British bombs, guns, and cannons exploded in the night, giving off enough light to illuminate the night sky and see that the flag was still proudly standing. The British had failed to tear down the fort’s wall, exemplifying that Great Britain could not suppress the idea of freedom for the United States. After that, a patriot by the name of Francis Scott Key, who was a lawyer and public servant wrote The Star-Spangled Banner. In it, he included “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” He wrote those words in 1814, but it still took almost a century to input it into the making of the Star-Spangled Banner. The Star-Spangled Banner has a special place in American's hearts because it shows how brave the United States was and still is. It shows that when we are united, nothing can break us
Our National Anthem Many Americans are familiar with the first verse of the poem The Defense of Fort McHenry but not by that name. Over the years since it was written, The Defense of Fort McHenry has become a part of American culture.
In John McCain’s essay “Veterans Day: Never forget their duty” he talks about his friend ,Mike, who was in the same prison camp as he was in and showed the pride that he and his fellow prisoners had for their flag. The American Flag is the most iconic symbol of America and to express pride for The American Flag is to show pride in America itself. On page 7 paragraph 8 “Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang MIke’s shirt on the wall of our cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know that saying the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important or meaningful part of our day now, but I can assure you that for those men in that stark prison cell, it was, indeed, the most important and meaningful event of our day”. John McCain shares with us that the most important part of their day was to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
Many people hail “The Star Spangled Banner” as the greatest piece of American music. The audiences of America’s national anthem seem, instinctively, eager to express their respect by embracing the notion to remove their hats and stand up. However, not many people ponder over the question of what “The Star Spangled Banner” truly means. What does it mean? Why does it deserve so much reverence and honor? What exceptional difference allows it to prevail over the masterpieces of prominent composers like Mozart and Beethoven? The answer is fairly simple. “The Star Spangled Banner” symbolizes America’s perseverance, its set of moral laws and ethics, and its history that constitutes what America truly means.
Every US citizen all have something in common; freedom. Most Americans go throughout their whole personal life, whether it be work, school, or other activities, never questioning, ”How do I have the opportunity to be able to do these things?” We instead ask and worry about other things, and don’t take time to acknowledge how we are able to have agency in our decisions of everyday life. The First Amendment allows US citizens to have privileges that don’t exist in some countries, like freedom of speech, religion, and the right to petition. Likewise, this amendment is unique to the United States of America, and no other country in the world has as many freedoms as the US. Because of these exclusive rights, we must protect them from being taken away. This is why the US has a military; to protect the freedoms exclusive to America. This is why we have Veterans’ Day; to celebrate the veterans of war who fought and put their lives down to keep their land free. This essay will go over why we should celebrate our country’s warriors, and it will talk about what veterans give up to protect their country, how their personal lives change, and how they affect our community/country.
Every day, while facing the flag, American students exhibit their loyalty to the country by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Written in 1892, during the 400th celebration of Columbus Day, the pledge used in “ceremonies that would culminate in raising of the flag” (Pledge of Allegiance). The creation of the pledge resulted from one sole event, the Civil War. Before the American Civil War of 1861, the American flag used to be a rare sight for many people. The Civil War resulted in the rise of patriotism an...
This passage from pp 173-174- from Khalid Hosseini's novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns is significant because Hosseini displays many different literary devices, such as symbolism, imagery, and allusion which describes the social issues in the novel Laila faces, and describes how Laila and the citizens in Afghanistan live during the Soviets violation in Afghanistan, as this was a major part in this novel. Moreover, this passage is also important because it allows the reader to understand how hard it is to live in an area where war is developing and explains how the action one takes, surrounded by war. Secondly, Hosseini conveys the social issues, chaos and anxiety due to the political rivalry. One literary device, which Hosseini uses, is allusion. Hosseini uses allusion by illustrating war when he addresses, "Then the rugs were folded, the mountains fired on Kabul, and Kabul, fired back at the mountains, as Laila and the rest of the city watched helpless as old Santiago watching the sharks take bites out of his prize fish" (A Thousand Splendid Suns p.174). Khaled Hosseini refers to the The Old Man and the Sea , describing the old man's lack of talent to do anything as the sharks eat the fish, to how destitute and vulnerable the citizens of Kabul feel. This shows the cultural values in Afghanistan because the people living are unwilling to move. On the other hand, part of the reason the people want to stay is their desire near the Middle East, where their religion, Islam started. Another example of literary device that Hosseini uses in this passage is imagery. Hosseini uses imagery to let the reader understand and to visualize distinctly what is occurring in the passage. A context consisting of imagery often contains rich words tha...
I’ve lol been standing for the pledge of allegiance since I was in elementary and never really understood why. Freedom of speech, you say what you want, when you want, and how you want to. It’s your right to stand up or not. “People die for our country.” “Sign of respect for the country we live in.” “Take pride in being an American.” How can we be proud to be American if it only brings negative stereotypes to everyone’s head, it has never been what it preaches to be. Being American is actually embarrassing. Just because I was born here doesn 't mean I have undying loyalty to America, being American means nothing to me, to be truthful.
Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover"? There are many things that look very unpleasing on the outside but actually have a meaning bigger than just our lives. Something that has a special meaning to me is the American Flag. Imagine a dirty, old flag that is still standing after a war that many soldiers have lost their life for. Thinking about that gives the flag a bigger meaning than just old cloth. The flag stands for all of Americans loyalty to their country. It also represents the hardships our country has overcome over many decades. The American Flag stands for everybody that has fought and died for our country. One of the biggest things the flag stands for is the loyalty of our people.
At the beginning of each day in many public and private schools around the country, students stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. In fact, 35 states have passed laws mandating that the Pledge be recited on a daily basis. This issue has been a source of controversy for years. On one side of the argument exists families and educators who believe in the citizenship and patriotism that reciting the Pledge brings (Chiodo, 2011). On the opposing side, families and educators argue the possible threat to an individual’s First Amendment freedoms.
As recited by former Governor of Minnesota, “There is much more to being a patriot and a citizen than reciting the pledge or raising a flag”. To pledge allegiance to the flag means to take a patriotic vow, that you will do everything in your power to fight to protect and keep the freedoms that you have been blessed with, safe. I believe that if you pledge allegiance to the
Like any other country America has national symbols such as the American Flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the “Start Spangled Banner.” To be an American means that you support these things to fullest extent and hold them in the highest regard. This means that When the National Anthem is played or the Pledge of Allegiance is recited, it is our duty as Americans to stand, remove our hats and cover our hearts as a sign of the utmost respect. These symbols are a sign of our heritage. They stand for what we believe in, who we are, and where we come from. We are Americans. We believe in life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. True Americans speak the national language, English, and know that America is a one of a kind country that cannot be beat. We have worked hard over the years to become the wealthiest and the most prosperous country in the entire world. As Americans we have the right to drive a Hummers, the right to live in luxurious houses, because after all we’...
Burning the American flag is disrespectful to All American Military. They fight fearlessly for the right to do anything in this country, and it is hard to fathom why any American would not support them. When I conducted a survey, 97% of students said they support the military. It does not make sense to burn something that stands for freedom when the people who fig...
Values some take for granted within this society today were ignored wholesale by a tyrannical colonial authority, and the people of this land rose up, shook off the chains of oppression, and set out to devise a new governmental system under which they could live rather freely. In his iconic “Four Freedoms” speech, America’s 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, outlined said values, stating that all should enjoy “freedom of speech and expression...freedom...to worship God in [their] own way” and “ a healthy peacetime life” (46). The importance of the concept of free speech and equality to the American identity cannot be understated, as it truly the foundation upon which much of this society rests. In the United states, it is instilled in us that from birth each human is bestowed with the same freedoms as all others. However, time and time again, people are denied these freedoms on the basis of skin color, religion, sexual orientation, or gender. Luckily, when such situations arise, the core belief that each and every person is owed liberty motivates the citizens of this nation to exercise their rights. With this in mind they speak out, or fight, against injustice, to take a further step towards making that dream of equality and a “healthy peacetime life” for all a
Throughout the years there has been many ways to reassure and keep others happy. The Mayflower Compact is one of the United States foundational documents of great historical significance, it contains literary elements with other important U.S. foundational documents in later centuries. The Preamble to the Constitution is one of the country’s foundational documents, igniting a signal of freedom both to the nation and the world. Last, The Star Spangled Banner is a historical poem that is used for the United States. The themes that the Preamble to the Constitution has in common with the Mayflower Compact and The Star Spangled Banner is unity, freedom, and peace.