American Revolution - Page 2

On the third Monday of February, Americans celebrate George Washington’s Birthday, often inappropriately called “Presidents Day.” Even more unfortunately, this holiday doesn’t even fall on Washington’s Birthday due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, which pushed numerous holidays to Monday in order to create more three-day weekends. Washington’s real birthday does not occur until February 22.

Though the very phrase “American Exceptionalism” is often mocked as simple-minded flag waving, there are concrete reasons that the American civilization is unique. The United States has a special place in world history. Despite the bumps, bruises, and outright contradictions that the country has muddled through in its very short existence, Americans can take pride in its numerous accomplishments, actions, and principles throughout the last two centuries.

If we don’t acknowledge an authority higher than politics and bureaucracy, we’ll never have an inclusive, tolerant, fair nation, because those virtues will always be subject to the flawed and fickle judgment of imperfect men and women, who are always influenced by personal passions and ambitions, no matter how loud their claims to the contrary.

Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth graders at Avondale, Colorado’s Craver Middle School, traded pencils for American Revolution firearms in a history program in which military re-enactors taught them how to shoot and showed them just how difficult many of the shots were that Colonial troops had to make against the British Red Coats.