What it Means to Be American Essay Example

What it Means to Be American Essay In order to decipher what it means to be an American you have to look at the past and what has brought this freedom upon us. George Washington once said â€Å"The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitution of government.† Up until 1776 when the War ended, none of this was possible. Great Britain was making the laws and making decisions about what the people of the thirteen colonies could or couldn’t do. The first amendment of the Constitution prohibits Congress from taking away one’s right of speech, press, petition, as well as religion, which is a valuable part of being an American. Having this freedom available to us could very well have saved other countries many wars if they would have let the citizens choose their own religion and not discriminate against it. Wars like the Crusades between the Christians and the Muslims, which started in 1095 and led to 1096, also continued from 1097- 1127, was fought over the control of the land of Jerusalem. Over half a million people died. Another example would be the Lebanese Civil war, in which both the Sunnis and the Shiites, two religious communities fought for government control. Nearly 150,000 people were killed during 1975-1990. We will write a custom essay sample on What it Means to Be American specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What it Means to Be American specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What it Means to Be American specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer On December 1, 1955, a women from Alabama demonstrated her rights of petition by refusing to give up her seat to a white man after a long day’s work. We recognize this woman by the name of Rosa Parks. She was just one American who demonstrated her rights. Another example of demonstrating the freedom we now possess that allows us to truly call ourselves Americans was Martin Luther King Jr. He showed the rights of free speech. In the book The Epic of America written by James Truslow Adams in 1931 stated that The American Dream was one many immigrants have of a land in which life should be better for each person based on their ability and their achievements. One of the amazing facts of being an American i

3 Reasons to Buy Your Real Christmas Tree Early

3 Reasons to Buy Your Real Christmas Tree Early The weekend after Thanksgiving is traditionally when​ most Christmas tree buying occurs. The decision to delay buying your holiday tree can certainly be determined by personal reasons including family tradition, religious doctrine and a post-Thanksgiving getting into the Christmas spirit barrage of media hype. If you are not bound by any of these or other personal preferences, you might want to consider shopping for and buying a Christmas tree a bit earlier in November. Buying early will pay off with less competition for higher quality Christmas tree selections and could ultimately result in a fresher holiday tree  if properly displayed and watered. Here are some of the reasons to buy a tree early. The Best Trees Are Harvested Early   You should consider mid-November as the  time to plan and follow through on your Christmas tree purchase. Christmas tree farms typically open during the middle of November and start cutting trees for lot sales. These are commercial wholesale farms (who often sell high-quality trees out the front door) and smaller tree farms catering to cutting your own tree. These types of Christmas tree farms promote early sales in designated sections where Christmas trees are of age and in prime shape. Obviously, these areas yield better trees at the beginning of the season, and its when you need to plan your visit. Farms selling trees online actually insist you place your order early in November. Although pricey, Ive found holiday trees purchased on the Internet to be of higher quality than even the premium selects growing on a tree farm. These trees are the growers best of the season crop and harvested first. Farms that supply online broker/sellers or farms that actually sell online take the best trees of their  plantation. They will arrive in perfect condition and are stand-ready (some farms even provide temporary stands with the tree). Instead of having to pick the perfect tree, you have professionals select the best for your holiday season. Get a Better Quality Tree Mounted in a Stand Most people dont realize that many Christmas trees bought on lots were cut in early to mid-November. So, when these trees are not purchased until after Thanksgiving, the drying process is well advanced and needle retention is often compromised. You are just as well off, and in our opinion much better off, buying the tree early and following our recommendations on how to prepare it for optimum freshness over the rest of the season. Although you just might luck out and get a fresh tree late in the season, you should not consider yourself getting a fresh tree by purchasing after Thanksgiving weekend. You just get a lower quality tree (picked over) with shedding needles as you delay your purchase. The sooner you get your Christmas tree in a watering stand after cutting, the longer will be the trees needle retention. The above reasons are the perfect excuse to buy a tree early and enjoying it during the Thanksgiving season. You should not consider yourself getting a fresh tree by purchasing later. The odds are that you just get a lower quality tree with shedding needles if purchased in December.   Avoid a Short Buying Season   Every year is different when it comes to Christmas tree availability. Christmas tree sales in numbers can vary annually because some years will have less shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas than others. This means that tree sellers will be busy over a shorter period of time and you will not have as many days to shop for a Christmas tree. Natural disruptions (insects, disease, fire, drought or ice) can cause regional Christmas tree shortages which can make certain Christmas tree species hard to find. In any event, buyers need to plan and purchase early to pick from the best holiday trees on the lot.