Initiative: Necessary for all progress

As Americans it is reasonable to assume that we have a sense of decency. We generally have virtues that all people should possess. We try to help others in need as well as take care of our own.

The one greatest American virtue is initiative. Without it our country would not be here. Without it our country would be in the hands of someone else. Without it our lives would be completely different, our world would be completely different.

Our country began with Columbus sailing into America and discovering our land. This took initiative. The country of Spain took the initiative to send someone out into the deep blue wild and try to find something new and useful. It took initiative for the Spaniards to start building the libraries, universities, and cities in a new world. There was hesitation and surely many thought it would not work, but they took the initiative and tried.

Then the English moved into the forefront. They became the initiators and started seeking the new world and building settlements.

Once the English had settled and made a life over in the new world, they started to have other problems. The English government was not allowing them to be represented in parliament, yet the government was taxing the colonies and gaining money from them. Something had to change because it was not fair to the colonies.

Yet again, initiative was needed. This initiate came from many different people, one of them being Richard Henry Lee, who introduced the idea of breaking away from England and writing the Declaration of Independence. Many others joined in on this initiative by going to conventions and helping decide what needed to happen in the colonies.

Then Thomas Jefferson showed great initiative by actually writing the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson even spoke on taking the initiative and always doing something. He said, ?Determine never to be idle…. It is amazing how much may be done if we are always doing.?

The next huge form of initiative in our country was the idea of writing the Constitu?tion and the collaboration that went into it. The people that went to the conventions held for the Constitution were full of initiative. The men who presented the different plans of government had the initiative to write something down. They had the initiative to stand up and speak their mind. And they had the initiative to agree upon something that was considered taboo and make it the right thing to do.

It took initiative for the men to actually put the pen to paper and sign the Constitution. It took initiative to present it to the country, people and states. It took initiative for the states to adopt the Constitution and make it the well balanced system it is today.

Initiative is a hard thing to pull off. One has to not be afraid of failure and criticisms. One has to be willing to put himself or herself and everything he or she owns on the line for the cause of the initiative, but once the initiative is taken, everything will change, and often for the better.

Even just this past week I have seen great initiative from our country and its leaders. Using initiative President Obama sent food, water, and aid into the wrecked country of Haiti. It is something that people must possess to live, especially as an United States of America citizen.

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