Worth Dying For

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Worth Dying For

Life is God’s greatest gift to mankind. Is there anything worth losing this most

precious gift for? Both US History and Literature give us an in-depth perspective on how

many times men and women alike sacrifice their lives for morals and values that are to

them worth more than life itself.

An example of one of these morals would be humanity. The union army of the

civil war held this moral so close to their heart that without a second thought they

marched troops throughout the United States to fight and even die to help free the slaves.

They saw that these men, women, and children were being in humanely held captives

against their will. These innocent people had committed no crime but were still being

treated as criminals. They were forced into near insufferable labor and cruel and unusual

punishment and persecution. The union saw this and took heart, for they knew that such

treatment of a fellow human being was evil and immoral. Thousands upon thousands of

union soldiers met their end in the civil war. The soldier found no vice in this because they

knew those dark times called for action, even if that meant the loss of lives. Humanity, to

them, was more important than life itself.

An example of this kind of sacrifice in U.S. Literature can be found in the classic

piece The Crucible. In this work we find young America in the times of the Salem witch

trials. False accusations were brought against many. These people could either admit to

making a pact with Satan or die in ways that are unspeakable. Most chose to admit to

conspiring with Satan. One of the few that didn’t was the character John Proctor. John

Proctor found it more important to keep a clear conscience than to save his neck. He died

young, but he died honest. That is defiantly a good reason to give you life.

Religion is a very important sector of man’s life. In a time when men’s minds were trite

and closed, Proctor found the courage to stand up for his religion and beliefs.

Another time this type of unbelievable sacrifice was made was at the Alamo.

There men found the value of freedom more valuable than their own lives. Around 180

Texans faced an insurmountable force of Spanish soldiers who numbered well over 2,000.

They faced the onslaught of cannon balls, bullets, and swords, knowing that in the end

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