Date published: 4/17/2008

By Amanda Gage

Many people often ask themselves, “What’s so important about the past?” It’s not difficult to find people who question the importance of our history and who believe that things that have already happened should stay in the past, especially at my age. Teenagers will often be the first to tell you that they prefer not to be trifled by our history, and therefore have no mind to preserve it. This unfortunate outlook upsets me more than I could express, for I am a firm believer that we should respect the actions and the legacies of our ancestors who elevated us to where we are today. In school, our history teachers tell us that we must learn from the past in order to succeed in our future. They also say that part of defining what it means to be “American” deals directly with our common heritage. After evaluating the past and the lasting effects it has on us today, I know both of these statements to be true. We must celebrate our American heritage and uphold our responsibility to preserve it.

Date published: 4/17/2008