What History Means To Me

2000 Winning Essay, Middle School

Vision is perception. When I look at an object, whether it is a rock, statue, or book, I do not just see it. I see the whole picture, the transparent image with its history glowing inside. The object's history is what gives the object life, value and meaning. So when I look at the American flag, I do not just see colorfully stitched cloth. I see the existence of the United States of America, all the hardships it has overcome and accomplishments, and the battle cry of glorious America. That's what history means to me, an understanding of the future through the vision of the present and past.

When I "look" at the constitution, I see the images inside of the delegates' months of work that was put into making it. I see the faces of the framers of the constitution, who wanted to make it perfect. I see all the people who fought for the twenty-seven amendments.

When I look at the voting ballot, I see the images of women smiling for joy because they can vote due to the expanded suffrage. I see the hard work of the previous forty-two presidents. And most of all, I see the constitution.

I don't see a lot of "real" things, since I live near a farm in a small community in New Jersey. But when I am walking on a nearby street, and I see the railroad tracks, I see the moments in time when Congress first authorized the construction of railroads in the early 1800s. When I walk past the harbor, I see images of all harbors. I see Charleston Harbor (home of Fort Sumter), the location of the first battle of the Civil War, the war between the north and south that when finished, united our country.

I look beyond the horizon, and I see a ship coming in. But I don't see a ship; instead I see the frightful occurrences of Germans sinking U.S. ships and attacking, which forced us to enter World War I. But in the end it did strengthen us by making us a world power.

As I walk away from the harbor, I see a dollar bill on the ground. What I see glowing inside it is the past horror of the stock market crash of 1929, causing the Great Depression. I decide not to take it because it's not mine.

AHH! I breathe the fresh air. I look at the clouds, but it's not clouds I see! I see the image of a humongous mushroom cloud, one that formed due to the atomic bombs U.S. dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan to make them surrender in World War II. That was a very glorious moment since U.S. did win the war, but an even more distressful moment since so many people died.

History is all around us. Wherever you look, there's history. History is what makes up all things, and everything important about them. Without history, they would all just be dust in the air. So when I look in the mirror, I see the events, values, and memories of my entire life reflected back through the mirror in one single image.

by T. Khanna
Sponsoring Teacher: Mrs. Wheatly
New Jersey
March 9, 2000