Since the beginning of the birth of our nation things like struggle, courage, and perseverance has won many battles for the U.S. we as a nation are still using these themes to shape decisions we make today. Issues such as the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, the Declaration of Independence, and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Civil Rights Movements led by Martin Luther King Jr., World War I, and World War II are all great examples of these characteristics. The most recent issue for these themes would have to be the Winter Olympic Games in Russia where America showed off marvelous talents to all of the participating countries.

Struggle was a major theme of these works because it’s through adversity that one can show true talent, capability, and grace under pressure. The best works that display this would be both world wars, the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and the Olympic Games. I think these are the most important works because they show the importance of each theme and really show their own values in their own way. Courage, my other central theme, is also important because it is the driving force behind the many successes of history. The only way to get something done is to get up and do it, which would be impossible if no one had courage. My last theme would have to be perseverance because that is the strength to keep going against all odds. Without which many would have given up the fight before the day was done. It is from these themes that I in turn have derived an overarching theme that all of these issues share, triumph over adversity. This theme includes all of my basic themes and combines them into one all-encompassing idea.

America, although it isn’t as old as other nations like England or Germany, has fully embodied and defined these themes and has made them a central part of who we are and how we perceive the world. The U.S. by definition is a nation born to triumph over any adversity that comes forward and it is this noble idea that drives us forward.