Our American Heritage and Our Responsibility for Preserving It

Focus Question: How does one's personal heritage affect one's duties to our nation?

Heritage. What is it? Some may call it a birthright; something passed down through generations. Everyone has their own personal heritage that will affect the way they live their lives. People who grew up in America have a completely different heritage than those who grew up in another county. As Americans, we are given certain freedoms and and liberties at birth that may not be offered in other places and that means that we will also have different duties to fulfill than others.

Every US citizen has rights: freedom of speech, religion and press. We are taught from a young age that those freedoms are something that everyone has, no matter what gender or race. They are just some of our many birthrights; a small piece of our American heritage. Out heritage is not the same as someone growing up in North Korea or Cuba or many other countries around the world. Because of those liberties, we as citizens have a duty to give back to our nation and preserve some of the many things that we have come to know and love.

One of the main duties of an American citizen is to be educated. Without a good education, the future leaders of our country will not be prepared to make some of the many decisions necessary with an adequate amount of knowledge to back them up. For example, when a person turns eighteen, they are able to legally vote. If they have not been educated on the issues that are going on in the world right now, how will they be able to make the decision that is best for our country? Worse yet, what if they don't vote at all? If that new adult is unsure about current issues, they may decide not to vote. This means that major decisions for our country are being made by only a small portion of the population. In order to serve our American way of life, our heritage, it is extremely important to be educated enough to make smart and logical decision for our country.

Because freedom and liberty to all is such a huge part of the American heritage, it is our duty to give back to our nation, to give input and be educated. Our heritage affects our way of life and pushes us to be better citizens and people.

Danielle Guerra of Stayton High School is the runner-up in the Abigail Scott Duniway Chapter, NSDAR "Good Citizen" essay contest

About the group

Contest presenter

is the Abigail Scott Duniway Chapter, NSDAR, Stayton. DAR objectives include historic preservation, promotion of education and patriotic endeavor.

For information

about the group, contact Diana Maul, regent, (503) 743-2639.

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