Freedom Shrine

The United States government has a foundation of multiple documents pertaining to the Freedom Shrine. Three of which that affect my daily life are the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Nineteenth Amendment. These three documents gave the United States its independence as a country and give the citizens certain rights that other countries do not have. All of these documents contribute to the liberty of today's citizens. The Declaration of Independence is one of the most well known documents ever written in our country and grants U.S. citizens many freedoms. First of all, it states that “all men are created equal.” This statement is significant to me because there are certain situations where men and women are treated differently based solely on his or her sex. However, because of this passage, I shall not be discriminated on my sex alone. Another famous line in the document tells us that all citizens have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Because of this statement, everyone in the country has access to live, be free, and go after whatever may make him or her happy as long as they are not harming anyone else or violating any laws. Say I wanted to open up my own floral shop. As long as I didn't break any laws in the process, the statement gives me the chance to pursue the opening of my business. The Declaration of Independence was also essential for the citizens becoming free from Great Britain. If we would not have been set free from Great Britain, our life style would be drastically different. For instance, our government would not allow us to be as free, we would not have a president, and we could not vote on most of the decisions made. We also would not have certain freedoms and symbols that represents our independence, such as having our own national anthem, flag, etc. The Declaration of Independence has a large significance in the nation's history and has an even larger affect on our country today. The Bill of Rights play a very crucial role in the independence of U.S. citizens. It is composed of the first ten amendments of the Constitution. The First Amendment is known for the five rights which are the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom to assemble, and freedom to petition the government. I am appreciative of these five rights because it gives us more freedom than a lot of other countries. For example, the freedom of speech allows me to wear anything I want, even if it was promoting something frowned upon by the government. Or if I wanted to get together with other people petition against the government, it would be acceptable in the United States, but I would get in serious legal trouble in other countries. Other countries under stricter control could die over something of that matter. The Second Amendment states that citizens have the right “to keep and bear Arms.” This amendment also allows us to be privileged because, while we are permitted access to owning a gun, there are multiple other countries who would be legally punished for it. Another amendment that sets us apart from restricted countries is the fourth amendment. This change states that s citizen can not be searched without a warrant or probable cause and is intended to make citizens feel more secure. This is another reason why the United States is more free than other countries because in other countries, anyone can be searched at random times for anything. The tenth amendment gives the states power to decide any other powers that are not directly stated in the Constitution or any other future problems that may come up that were not foreseen. This amendment is necessary because without it, there would be many problems that the national government would have to deal with when it is just easier for the state government to dispute. For example, in the Constitution it is not specified what the speed limit of roads should be, so it is left for the states to determine. Without the Bill of Rights, a lot of the freedoms that U.S. citizens are permitted would not exist and the government would have much more control over out life. The Nineteenth Amendment is significant for all females in the United States. Before the year of 1920, only men were granted access to vote. Then, Susan B. Anthony, with the help of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, drafted the document and proposed it to the Senate as the “Anthony Amendment.” The change was then passed by Congress on June 4, 1919 and officially ratified on August 18, 1920. This was a major change in the history of the United States. Although I have never been eligible to vote before, I will be old enough to vote for the next presidential election. However, without the Nineteenth Amendment, I would never be able to vote. I think that it is important that women vote because we live in this country too and should have a say in what decisions are made in our national government, regardless of what gender we are. The Nineteenth Amendment also led to females gaining other rights that males already had, such as being given the same kind of education opportunities, being able to play sports, and being given the same job opportunities. Without the Nineteenth Amendment, women would not have near as much independence as we are given today. So as you can see, the Freedom Shrine has a very large impact on my life today. Although there are more, three of the documents that give me some of my freedom are the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Nineteenth Amendment. Without these documents, the United States would not be an independent nation and the citizens would not have the majority of the rights that we do today. These documents all grant me certain freedoms which are necessary in my day to day life style.