This is my second year participating in this contest with the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Last year I entered with my essay "How Did the Faith and Courage of Christopher Columbus Give To Mankind A New World?" to the Esther Eayers chapter in Orono, Maine and my essay was passed on to the state division. Last year I was two points away from being first place in the state. Now, this year I entered again and am so excited to have won first place! I am now eagerly waiting for the results from the regional division. |
Me with the President General (left) of the NSDAR and the State Regent of Maine (right)
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“How Do Americans View Christopher Columbus and George Washington Today?”
Our history is what has shaped us into our modern society today. Our ancestors have overcome many barriers to make way for a better world, a world so that their decedent’s─us─could live in peace. Two men in particular were molders of this country, shaping the United States in their hands to create a country of unity and peace. One of the men, Christopher Columbus, didn’t quite know it at the time that he was fulfilling his destiny as an explorer that would affect many people even several centuries later. His voyages were a footstep forward towards a New World. Another man, George Washington, was a man of determination, set on gaining his country independence. They are both remarkable legends, molders of United States history. How would we be today if neither of these men fulfilled their destinies? Would we still be the same today? Centuries later, how have these men affected our lives?
It begins with Christopher Columbus who was born in Genoa, Italy among a middle class family. He grew up working in his father’s cheese stand but when he became of age he began his life as a sailor just as many of the other young men his age did. By the time Columbus was an adult, he was a skilled sailor and had great plans to explore the westward route to Asia by sea. In his lifetime, Columbus is known to make four important voyages to the Americas, overcoming the many hardships of rejection for funds, governing rebellious natives, combating the restless sea, dealing with illness and simply figuring out how to overcome the day to day struggles of life. When he died at age fifty-four, he accomplished more in his lifetime than most men did and although he believed he had found Asia, he is renowned to this very day for his accomplishment of discovering the Americas.
After Columbus, many men contributed to the cause of developing the United States, even before we were united. However, George Washington, a renowned legend in American history, was one man who was determined to win our independence. Washington was born on February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland Country, Virginia. His childhood is generally unknown except for some famous told fables. One of the most popular ones was of how George’s father gave him an axe as a gift and George chopped down his father’s prized cherry tree. The moral of the fable was that his father forgave him despite his shameful behavior. In 1759, Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis and did not have any children. At the time, the Revolutionary War was happening and Washington was nominated Commander and Chief of the Continental Army by John Adams. He was a well-known prodigy for fighting against the British even though during the French and Indian war he fought with the British as a member of the Virginia militia. He wanted to join the British Navy but his mother refused to let him. This decision obviously had a substantial impact upon the history of our country. After the Revolutionary War ended, Washington became president and the new constitution was ratified to become a new nation called the United States of America.
So how does any of this make these two men similar? How did they impact our country? These men both have a noticeable quality of bravery and leadership. Both persevered when they could have turned away when the times became tough. Although Columbus and Washington both came from a different time era, they established many things that changed people’s cultures and lives forever. Even today, their decisions have and still affect us.
Columbus is the very reason we call America our home. He began the chain of events that led to a new culture for Europeans by his discovery of the Bahamas, Hispaniola, Central America, Cuba and the northern coast of South America. He discovered the trade winds that blow from east to west, which are still used today by sea captains and he also displayed to all Europeans that such long sea voyages were possible.
Washington was a vital element in the establishment of the United States of America. He became the first president in 1789 and did many important things while in office. He influenced the two-term presidency by refusing to serve a third term. This example later became the twenty-second amendment. He organized the first United States Cabinet, the executive branch and established the United States federal judiciary. He also played a major role in conveying amendments to the constitution through the Bill of Rights. Washington also signed the Residence Act of 1790, a federal law establishing a United States capital. Washington got to pick the location.
These men should always be viewed as brave men who went through life not blindly but knowing what they needed to do. Through their courage, their leadership and their faith they formed the world that we live in today. Our American family roots begin when the Europeans immigrated to the United States and learned to love the ground for which we walk on today.
Each American may view Columbus and Washington differently; some weighing their differences and opinions against them. Others agreeing with them. Nonetheless, it doesn’t change the fact that these men started everything by their strong will, their affiliation and their fight for everything they believed in─what we believe in today. Together they are similar men and apart they are different men. These two men are individuals and come with their own history but the most common thing between them is they created history that epically changed our world. As every man does, they each had their faults but those faults are outweighed by their accomplishments. I view Columbus as a man of determination. He was determined to find Asia (instead finding the Americas) and after all the rejection he faced in his lifetime he had refused to give up. I view Washington as a fighter. I don’t just mean in the way that he participated in the Revolutionary War but by his character. He fought for our country. He facilitated in the establishment of the United States of America by fighting alongside many men, including my own ancestor, David W. Cook, who fought in the Continental Artillery Regiment under Colonial Henry Knox. Perhaps I feel a connection because my own relative most likely saw Washington in battle, maybe even fighting right alongside him. Perhaps it is for other reasons. Whatever may be, these men were one of a kind with a strong will and a mission, destined by God to fulfill their calling. They were molders, helping in the shaping of our world today.
Bibliography
"George Washington" Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/george-washington-9524786
"George Washington and the Cherry Tree" Retrieved from http://www.howstuffworks.com/george-washington-and-the-cherry-tree-story.htm
Blythe, B., (December 2008). "George Washington (1732-1799)". Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/revwar/about_the_revolution/george_washington.html
"How did Christopher Columbus’s discovery change/affect the place he discovered, America?"
Retrieved from http://365molly.wordpress.com/christopher-columbus-2/how-did-christopher-columbuss-discovery-changeaffect-the- place-he-discovered-america/
"Continental Artillery Regiment" Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Artillery_Regiment
Barclay,Shelly. "The Military Career of George Washington: The Virginia Militia" Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/the-military-career-of-george-washington-the-virginia-militia
Oak, Manali, (September 2013). "Major Accomplishments of George Washington" Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/major-accomplishments-of-george-washington.html
Smith, Tiffany A., (November 2013). “How did the faith and courage of Christopher Columbus give to mankind a new world?”
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You can check out my essay from last year here.
If you are interested in seeing if you qualify in becoming a member of the DAR (you must have an ancestor that once enlisted in the Revolutionary War) or are just curious, check out the DAR website.
