Our Country Today

In "The Partly Cloudy Patriot," Sarah Vowell discusses the impact that the events of September 11th have had on her life. This made me think about what important national events have had an impact on my life. After thinking this through thoroughly, I concluded that all of the national events that have had a major impact on my life have happened before I was born or old enough to remember them. I am not saying that there have been no important or tragic national events in my lifetime that I remember, but the most important and effective events have happened before my lifetime.

As for the events of September 11, 2001, I do not remember that day at all. I was only two years old. Sarah Vowell writes, "What did happen, a lot, was that citizens or politicians or journalists would mention that they wonder what it will be like for Americans now to live with the constant threat of random, sudden death."  All that I have ever known is the world post 9/11, I have nothing to compare the world today to; but from what I know our country has changed drastically. For example, the Patriot Act was passed in October of 2001, adding security and law enforcement to help prevent terrorism. This is why airport security is much more intense than it was previous to 9/11. Many people are against the Patriot Act because it limits our freedom, but it is necessary to prevent anything like this from happening to our country again.

A few events that have impacted my life the most include the Revolutionary War and the struggle for women's suffrage. Of course, these events happened many years before I was born, but they still affect my life today. Just imagine how different our lives would be if the Revolutionary War never took place in 1775. Our freedom would be nonexistent and who knows what other differences would be prevalent. We could still be under the rule of the British. Or instead of obtaining gay marriage rights in 2015, we could be having a revolutionary war against the British right now. Also the fights for women's suffrage and other women's rights took place many years ago, making it so that women today are treated more equally. Granted, our country still has inequalities and other flaws that we must work on; but compared to life back in the 1700's, 1800's, 1900's, and even the early 2000's we have come a very long way. Our generation may face some difficulties and they may not be easy to overcome, but we are lucky that our country's worst struggles are in the past, and that we can continue to make our country great.