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By ANN OLIVER
(Editor’s note: The following essay by Ann Oliver was judged the winning entry in the state DAR good citizen contest. Citizenship contest nominees from each Virginia school were asked to respond to a questionnaire on history and write an essay on a topic announced at the same time. They were not permitted to research the topic and had to complete their papers within a set time limit.)
“All men are created free and equal...” This line of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence is the basis of our American heritage. From this premise grew two other important parts of our heritage—our system of government and our great historical figures.
The freedoms granted as in the Constitution are the most important part of our heritage. The liberties which the Bill of Rights entitle us to include freedom of speech, of assembly, and of the press. Our Founding Fathers were denied these liberties under King George III. Hence, they realized that a country governed by the people must guarantee the people freedom to express their opinions.
Today we still have these freedoms. I feel that my responsibility to preserve them lies in exercising my Constitutional liberties. I also have a responsibility to defend these rights, through legal channels, if 1 ever feel that they have been violated. Thus, preservation of a freedom lies in constantly using and defending it.
The second part of our heritage is our system of government. This system has the equality of men and the principle of popular sovereignty as its roots. Popular sovereignty can be defined as rule by the people. The people rule by expressing their will through their votes. Because each citizen is considered equal all votes have the same weight. Thus, each citizen has an equal voice in his government.
Our government incorporates the principle of popular sovereignty into a federal system. This system divides government into national, state, and local lev
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