Brynner's Essay

Every year the VFW sponsors an essay contest.  Last year Brynne won.  This year she is the only entrant (so we expect a win).  BUT, she wrote a really good essay this year, so I'm going to share it!  The subject that she was given is also the title.  She's limited to 400 words.

What I would tell America's Founding Fathers

If I met America's Founding Fathers there are many things I would tell them and many things they might wonder about today's world.

One thing I would tell the Founding Fathers is about the Constitution. The Founding Fathers signed the Constitution on September 17,1787. Since then there has been 27 amendments, or changes made in it. One of the amendments made was that no citizen's vote can be taken away because of his race, color, or because he was once a slave. Another one gave women the right to vote. The Bill of Rights was also added. I know that if I had written or signed something like the Constitution, I would be interested to know if it was still used and if it had been changed,so that is one thing I would tell the Founding Fathers.

Another thing I would tell them about would be the telephone. The word Telephone comes from a Greek root meaning far speaking. The first telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, about ninety years after the Founding Fathers. At first some people dismissed Graham Bell's “speaking telephone” as a scientific toy of little value. Others saw as an invasion in privacy. By 1917 nearly all of the United States had telephone service. Since the Founding Fathers did not see any of this I think that they would find it very interesting.

The last thing I would like to tell the Founding Fathers is about America today. When the Founding Fathers built our government, and America began to grow it was practically nothing compared to other countries. Now it is one of the richest and most advanced countries in the world. In some places around the world other countries model their government after ours, which is something I would definitely want to tell the Founding Fathers. Another thing about America is that people come here for a better life or to be free. I think that the Founding Fathers would be proud of America, and the achievements of the people in it.

America is a beautiful place in spite of its faults and I think that the Founding Fathers should be proud to be a part of the beginning of such a wonderful country.