change things, when you feel that events controlled by someone else are unfair. Yes, thatâs possible. Itâs been done.
But donât be a wiseguy or wisegal. Standing up for your rights does not mean you should complain about every little thing that bugs you. Smarten up and appreciate the fact that you have opportunities kids in most other countries donât have. In China, if you mouth off to your teacher or parents, you could find yourself in a work camp. In the Muslim world, a bare midriff on a girl could get her a severe beating in front of the entire town. In Africa, millions of kids have little food to eat. Think about that the next time you pull up to McDonaldâs or Pizza Hut.
So I want you to know your rights, but I also want you to appreciate them and use them for everybodyâs well-being, not just your own. Thatâs my plan here.
The truth will let you know how free you are, but it will not allow you to avoid your responsibility. Thatâs correct: Kids have a responsibility to their country, parents, and brothers and sisters, as Iâve mentioned.
So, letâs understand each other. Weâre going to be talkingabout your rights according to the law. If you know how to con your parents, your teachers, or anyone else into letting you have your way all the time, thatâs something else. I donât want to hear about it. Shame on you, shame on them. This is not a book for selfish, spoiled brats. This is a book for kids who want to do what is right. Kids who want to be good Americans! I hope thatâs you!
1
HOW CAN YOU BE A GOOD AMERICAN?
B eing a good American starts with knowing your rightsâ¦and respecting the rights of others. And by doing the right thing when many other kids are not.
First off, your rights were not delivered by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.
That was the Ten Commandments, okay? (Hope youâve heard of them.)
No, the rights you enjoy today were crafted by human hands and human minds. You have to get that straight from the start or you could go crazy. Theywere set down by a group of intelligent, difficult, argumentative, arrogant guys whom we officially call the âFounding Fathers.â Youâve seen the marble busts and statues, the paintings of the very serious-looking old guys standing in great halls.
Donât be fooled by how they look.
Believe me, while they were Founding, the Fathers included brilliant thinkers, pains in the butt, more than one certifiable drunk, heroes who stood against the majority on principle, athletes (some of whom were skilled at chasing skirts), and speakers who could make the walls shake. In other words, this collection of true patriots (yes, I mean that term) was very, very human.
To repeat, you have to understand that.
See, your rights here in America were created by a wide range of people (except, owing to the times, they were all male and white). They differed because they had a diversity of human talents and human flaws. Not really so unlike the population of your school.
But what they shared was the most important thing. It can legitimately be called a âVision.â Let me sum it up in my words!
The average person in America should be free from unjust interference in daily lifeâ¦and should be protected from the bad guys, whoever and wherever they are.
These Founding Fathers wanted to express this Vision in writing so it would live on even long after they were gone. The document they created is what we know as the U.S. Constitution.
Simple? Sounds like it.
But something like this had never happened before in the history of the world.
So, along with everything else, the Founding Fathersâscreaming and swearing at each other, laughing and celebrating and pounding each other on the backâwere Patriots with a capital P. More than 220 years ago, they were looking out for you.
They wanted to establish some ground rules that would be really easy for everyone to understand and really
But donât be a wiseguy or wisegal. Standing up for your rights does not mean you should complain about every little thing that bugs you. Smarten up and appreciate the fact that you have opportunities kids in most other countries donât have. In China, if you mouth off to your teacher or parents, you could find yourself in a work camp. In the Muslim world, a bare midriff on a girl could get her a severe beating in front of the entire town. In Africa, millions of kids have little food to eat. Think about that the next time you pull up to McDonaldâs or Pizza Hut.
So I want you to know your rights, but I also want you to appreciate them and use them for everybodyâs well-being, not just your own. Thatâs my plan here.
The truth will let you know how free you are, but it will not allow you to avoid your responsibility. Thatâs correct: Kids have a responsibility to their country, parents, and brothers and sisters, as Iâve mentioned.
So, letâs understand each other. Weâre going to be talkingabout your rights according to the law. If you know how to con your parents, your teachers, or anyone else into letting you have your way all the time, thatâs something else. I donât want to hear about it. Shame on you, shame on them. This is not a book for selfish, spoiled brats. This is a book for kids who want to do what is right. Kids who want to be good Americans! I hope thatâs you!
1
HOW CAN YOU BE A GOOD AMERICAN?
B eing a good American starts with knowing your rightsâ¦and respecting the rights of others. And by doing the right thing when many other kids are not.
First off, your rights were not delivered by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.
That was the Ten Commandments, okay? (Hope youâve heard of them.)
No, the rights you enjoy today were crafted by human hands and human minds. You have to get that straight from the start or you could go crazy. Theywere set down by a group of intelligent, difficult, argumentative, arrogant guys whom we officially call the âFounding Fathers.â Youâve seen the marble busts and statues, the paintings of the very serious-looking old guys standing in great halls.
Donât be fooled by how they look.
Believe me, while they were Founding, the Fathers included brilliant thinkers, pains in the butt, more than one certifiable drunk, heroes who stood against the majority on principle, athletes (some of whom were skilled at chasing skirts), and speakers who could make the walls shake. In other words, this collection of true patriots (yes, I mean that term) was very, very human.
To repeat, you have to understand that.
See, your rights here in America were created by a wide range of people (except, owing to the times, they were all male and white). They differed because they had a diversity of human talents and human flaws. Not really so unlike the population of your school.
But what they shared was the most important thing. It can legitimately be called a âVision.â Let me sum it up in my words!
The average person in America should be free from unjust interference in daily lifeâ¦and should be protected from the bad guys, whoever and wherever they are.
These Founding Fathers wanted to express this Vision in writing so it would live on even long after they were gone. The document they created is what we know as the U.S. Constitution.
Simple? Sounds like it.
But something like this had never happened before in the history of the world.
So, along with everything else, the Founding Fathersâscreaming and swearing at each other, laughing and celebrating and pounding each other on the backâwere Patriots with a capital P. More than 220 years ago, they were looking out for you.
They wanted to establish some ground rules that would be really easy for everyone to understand and really
Similar Books
