We celebrate the 4th of July because that’s America’s Birthday. When I think about the 4th of July, I think of Morgan Hill’s 4th of July Parade, and our whole community gathering together to celebrate America’s Birthday. I think of the 4th of July as a time to spend with family and friends, and honor all the military heroes who fought for our freedom.
I think of the stars on our flag as well as the stripes. The stars represent all of our United States.The stripes represent the original thirteen colonies. The thirteen colonies that helped form America and the whole United States.
When I think about the 4th of July, I think about the songs that people enjoy singing around the 4th of July like patriotic songs. The patriotic songs that come to my mind are “The Star Spangled Banner,” “My Country Tis of Thee,” “God Bless America” and many more patriotic songs.
When I think of the 4th of July, I think of how many versions and names the flag had before it was how it is today. The stars were based off of the Washington Headquarters flag; it started with five rows, and a two-three two-three pattern. This flag was important because it was anywhere General Washington was. The flag flew over battlefields, the headquarters or raised above soldiers marching.
Over time the flag has changed many times. Every time a state was added, they added a star and a stripe, then they decided to keep 13 stripes to represent the 13 colonies. The stars would then represent the number of states. This is the flag we know today and flies high over our schools, at our government buildings, over our battleships, on our military heroes, uniforms, on our airplanes, and next to our homes on the 4th of July.
Another reason I love the 4th of July is to celebrate our country’s heroes. Those heroes who have fought for our freedom, and those who have fallen. Our heroes protect us no matter what and sacrifice themselves to protect us. They had to go through hard training to get to where they are, and they give it their all. I think all of our heroes deserve more than what they get because they are giving up so much to fight for our country.
In conclusion, I like the 4th of July, and I’d personally like to thank everyone who has fought for us. Overall, the 4th of July is a fantastic day and we live in a community that celebrates it to its fullest.
From the Patriotic Sing, to the running race, the car show, parade and fireworks, our community comes together to celebrate the 4th of July. We are united as one, celebrating our United States.
Morgan Hill resident Karl Shreve is a fifth grader in Mrs. Chappell’s class. Shreve wrote this piece for the Morgan Hill Freedom Fest essay contest, and won the Grand Prize.
Well done, Karl!