Americanism

            
             According to the dictionary it means "a characteristic .
             feature of English as used in the United States." To me it means a lot more .
             than that. It means three main things to me- freedom, all of our needs are .
             met, and responsibility.
             When I hear the word freedom, I think about freedom of speech and .
             the freedom of choice. In America, we have the freedom of speech. We can .
             say what we want to say anytime we want to say it. The power of speech is .
             often abused. People in America often do not realize how lucky they are to .
             have the freedom of speech.
             Another thing that I think Americanism means is freedom of choice. .
             From the time children are born and until they go off on their own, the parent .
             or guardian tries to choose what is best for the child. Children choose their .
             own destiny while they are in school. The freedom of choice is probably the .
             most often abused freedom that we have in this great country. The freedom .
             of choice is what truly makes America "The Land of Opportunity.".
             In America, most all of the people's needs are met. If you do not have .
             enough money to feed your family you can apply for welfare. Also if you do .
             work, but do not earn enough to afford a place to live , you can apply for .
             HUD. America provides for its citizens through these organizations. Our .
             government tries to meet all the needs of its citizens, but it is truly up to the .
             parent (s), guardians, or ourselves to provide all that we need. This is how all .
             of our needs are met in the United States.
             As Americans, we all have responsibilities to our country and .
             community. Three major responsibilities that we have are to vote, serve our .
             community or country in any way possible, and to pay taxes.
             From an adult's perspective, we all have a duty to vote, no matter what .
             it is for. We all should exercise are privilege to vote. Many adults don't vote. .
             It doesn't matter what the reason, people need to get out and cast their vote.