2007 ESSAY CONTEST

Noon, Saturday, June 16, 2007
FREEDOM PARK
on the corner of Route 235 and Tulagi Place

This year's essay contest asked students to respond to the two quotes on the back of our new book In Relentless Pursuit of an Education. More than 100 entries from St. Mary's County public Middle and High Schools were judged and six winners will each receive a certificate recognizing their achievement and a monetary award -- two students tied for fist place in the middle school contest.

Middle School                      High School
1st Place    $300.00                      1st Place    $300.00
1st Place    $300.00                      2nd Place    $200.00
3rd Place    $100.00                      3rd Place    $100.00

Quotes students were to respond to are below:

If you don't know your history, you're destined to live it again. People made great sacrifices for this county to be where it is today. And, it's universal sacrifice on both sides of the fence. But unfortunately, our history has reflected more of one side than the other. People need to understand the contributions that have been made to make this country what it is. Alonzo Gaskin We can best project where we’re going if we first reflect on where we’ve been. Ralph Ignatius Butler Excerpts from: In Relentless Pursuit of an Education, UCAC 2006.

3rd Place -
Eighth Grade at Leonardtown Middle School

Amie Gilligan

The Importance Of History

I agree with both Alonzo Gaskin and Ralph Ignatius Butler that the connection between history and the present and the sacrifices many people in history have made are substantial. It is essential to reflect upon and understand the path of history so that we may all analyze our today and predict what effect our choices will have on the future. Only after doing all of this can one truly comprehend his or her place in the world and its timeline. There is a definite connection between history and today, a great sacrifice made by a lot of people to better their future, and need for everyone to use history wisely to make the best decisions possible now.

All events in this world's past have led up to and created the present. This is history's direct connection to the present. History is like a deep, flowing river rushing through a new bed and filling a small dry part of the riverbed every newly passed second; what had just been our present and is now our past. So if we decide to suddenly stick a filter in it now, there is so much dirt in the river already and the river is so powerful that the filter can't hold all the dirt and the rest is pushed through. Ten to a few hundred years up the stream there will still be more filth in that river than the filter would normally let through. This is an illustration on how powerful history is, that even if we sign the Kyoto treaty or pull the troops out of Iraq, the consequences of what we did before that will still carry on into the future. Our past is also an invaluable record of the choices we have made and their consequences. It shows what has happened when many decisions and chains of decisions were made out of seas of infinite possibilities of event, people, circumstance, and choice combinations throughout the time span of the existence of this world up until now. Although history will never repeat itself because everyone is different and time is always progressing, it gives us a sound framework of knowledge to utilize when making any choice in our lives or as a group of humans. History has led up to and created everything in this instant, will create things in the future, and, hopefully, with the partnership of the caring, intelligent humans we are and can be, will show us to a future a thousand times more brilliant than we ever could imagine.

Ralph Ignatius Butler said, "We can best project where we are going if we first reflect on where we've been." Like a global temperature graph or a prey population vs. predator population chart, patterns are obvious in history to anyone educated in that area. A handful of faithful and loving leaders have proven how effective their non-power hungry approach has been in breaking the destructive patterns. Every other world leader, however, has chosen military intervention, retaliation, disregard for the environment, and no perception of living quality for the lowly of the country. This results in a consistent pattern of uprising, war, a declining environment, sadness, and thousands more deaths than necessary. If we all were to carefully analyze this pattern, we would know that choosing to improve Earth and preserve and increase peace and love by practicing only that ourselves must change history. This is certain because it worked for the leaders who exhibited those traits and only built more havoc for those who did not. For instance, the fighting over land in the Middle East has continued for centuries because most of the people living there believe that the only way to own "their" holy land is to fight and destroy the enemy. If the leader of one of the sides was to stop fighting and negotiate with the other leader or even just give up the land, she/he would know that would create peace because he/she was making a different choice than that of the previous leaders who only worsened the perpetual fighting. We can also use patterns in history to predict the outcomes of our options so one can make the best choices possible. A small choice I have is to litter, throw away my trash, or recycle it. I remember that I learned how filthy the streets of England and America were in the 1700s and early 1800s when everyone dropped their trash on the street and how much disease there was. I also remember books I have read about how landfills have destroyed countless habitats, and realize that my littering or even throwing away my trash would contribute to these negative activities. I recall that when recycling was put into place on a large scale, less natural resources were used for items we needed and for landfills. Then, 1 would make the choice to recycle. This process of contentious and reflective thinking can and needs to be used by everyone from children to world leaders. History is a precious gift of knowledge we must use to the best of our abilities if we are to have any true hope of achieving any place near success as the human race we are all a part of.

While remembering what occurred many years ago that we want to avoid as well as the events that we want to replicate now, we should never fail to realize what a great sacrifice the people of that time made for their future. Many people gave up their belongings, income, pride, safety, and/or sometimes even life to make a great change. That change for the better influences people just as much as the person's life choices do to be willing to sacrifice all for what you believe in. Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Dr. Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, countless spies, abolitionists, rebels, and slightly less well known people like Betsy Ross (the claimed seamstress of the Fort McHenry flag) are all examples of these people whom we should all strive to live like. The others made a mistake and had to suffer through the consequences (often along with many others), and the only good in that is that we, as their future, might learn from their mistakes. Waiting to demand that Hitler stop the Holocaust until 6 million Jews were killed, forcing Indians into small reserves, killing over 4,000, starting the Texas Revolution when Stephen Austin proved that negotiating would have worked just as well and prevented several thousand people from being killed, and loosing animal and plant species we never even learned existed by destroying or letting other people destroy so much of our rain forests are all terrible mistakes that caused millions to die and tens of millions of people great pain. We all have to act against any thing like this reoccurring, as fellow humans who need to respect our brothers and sisters no matter what time difference is between us. If you write to a senator when you see unfairness and/or unnecessary death in the decisions the government is making or buy some land in the rainforest to protect, you are ensuring that the sacrifices so many people in history made were valuable and actually improved the world. As to the "people who made great sacrifices to make this country what it is today," I respect them for risking their lives or giving a lot of themselves for what they believed in. If the soldiers in any battle hadn't fought, though, our country may still have been what it is today, just without its history of wars. If everyone refused to fight, leaders would have had to negotiate a lot earlier, meaning that by now peaceful talks between leaders would have been so well developed that they would be much more efficient for both parties. We all need to respect, learn from, and make careful choices based on what we know about the sacrifices people have made in the past and those that we make now and in the future to fix our world's problems and mistakes.

The connection between history, our present, and our future allows us to learn all we can about history and the sacrifices people and the environment made in the past. We all have the wonderful gift of being able to use that information to make choices that avoid previous mistakes completely and only apply the purely good things people in history have done to the present and future. Everyone must learn from all of history and act on what we know to ensure that the war, destruction and hate that is slowly consuming our world will disintegrate.

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Tied for 1st Place -
Eighth Grade at Leonardtown Middle School

Claire Weber

It is evident that events in history have shaped this country and the lives of its inhabitants. Alonzo Gaskin and Ralph Ignatius Butler are famous for quotations that depict how history has impacted our past, present, and eventually our future. These quotations can be found on the cover of In Relentless Pursuit of an Education: African American Stories from a Century of Segregation. Quotations like these allow myself to reflect on how history has impacted my life.

As I reflected on Gaskin's quotation, I realized that this quotation truly symbolized Juneteenth Day. I interpreted this quotation to be how it is vital for us to know our history so that we are allowed to learn from other's mistakes. Instead of repeating past mistakes, this quotation encourages the audience to learn from other's past mistakes so that it is possible to make progress and move forward. In fact, one might say that it is impossible to move forward until our community acknowledges the mistakes and experiences of past generations. Gaskin also stresses that our country made great sacrifices to evolve to what it is today, suffering from death, lack of food, or lack of finances. Others have suffered the same troubles as our country has, but our country was able to withstand these hardships into what we are today. In short, Gaskin seemed to say that humankind is destined to repeat its past mistakes unless it can learn from them.

Like Gaskin's quotation, Ralph Ignatius Butler's quotation is able to capture the spirit of Juneteenth day. The theme of this quotation, as I interpreted it, was that our past reveals the true nature of us. Upon further reflection, I also realized that Butler seemed to say that those who do not take heed of their past will commit the same mistakes and receive the same misfortunes of those before. My father often says, "Insanity is classified by repeating the same thing while expecting a different result." Both quotations express the need to examine our past and learn from it. Some say that our history does not define us, but in all truth it does. Although I do believe that you have the power to change your future, in order to do that one must examine their past. History spares no one. For example, if the bold parents involved in the famous case, Brown vs. Education, had not stood up for what they believed was unjust, then it would be very likely that we would all be sitting in segregated class rooms even today. If Jackie Robinson had not fought to be the first African American in modem major league baseball, then African Americans could possibly still be forbidden to play on a Major League baseball team. These events have paved the way for African Americans to be treated with equality, but more importantly, African Americans were starting to be treated like fellow Americans.

It is evident that events in history have shaped this country and the lives of its inhabitants. Juneteenth Day is one of those events. It is often said that knowledge is power. If one is to succeed in life, one must learn things the "easy way", by taking heed of their history.

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Tied for 1st Place -
Eighth Grade at Leonardtown Middle School

Kellen Greenwell

Gaskin and Butler refer to the course of history and how those that forged the way and contributed to our country's success created a map for us to follow. Those that have studied history have a better understanding of current events and sometimes use that knowledge to avoid conflict and plan for a better future.

To me, Alonzo Gaskin's statement says that history can repeat itself. When Gaskin says "If you don't know your history, you're destined to live it again," suggests to me that you should learn from your mistakes. Knowing what has happened in the past will help you figure out why this country is the way it is. There were people from many ethnic groups that helped start the USA. Many don't remember that it wasn't only our founding fathers that created this country, but also, African Americans and many other ethnic groups that have made us what we are today. In the end, knowing your historical facts and events can help you understand what sacrifices were made and who made them.

My interpretation of Butler's quote is that it takes steps to get to and complete a task. If you keep track of where you have been, you will not have to redo what has already been done. Keeping records of what our predecessors have done gives us an opportunity to continue the work that those before us started. Butler uses the word reflect in his quote. A reflection helps you know where you are in the scheme of things. It is fitting then that upon reflection of our country's history we can plan for a successful future. Everything that has occurred in history has impacted not only my life but those who are part of the time line. If one event didn't happen or something extra happened, it could have changed any part of my life. I believe that life would not be the same if history did not happen the way it already has. I am thankful that America's future plans include freedom and a chance for peace. I am sure that lessons learned from the past will be the key for our nations' success.

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3rd Place -
Senior Chopticon High School

Jasmin Hottle

It is a widely held view that knowledge of the past can help guide and protect the future. By knowing what has happened already, the re-occurrence of such an event can be avoided or prevented. This perception is condensed rather poetically in Butler's statement, "We can best project where we're going if we first reflect on where we've been." Reflecting on this quote, it gently guides the train of thought to a point similar to that presented by Gaskin, "If you don't know your history, you're destined to live it again. People made great sacrifices for this country to be where it is today. And, it's a universal sacrifice on both sides of the fence. But unfortunately, our history has reflected more of one side than the other. People need to understand the contributions that have been made to make this country what it is." For instance, when learning about the Pilgrims, students are taught that they came to Plymouth Rock seeking freedom from religious prosecution. The Native Americans assisted them in their initial endeavors to set up a small settlement, and Thanksgiving is now a cherished holiday. But the other sacrifices made by these people is not taught in school. Students are not taught about the other sacrifices made by some of the Pilgrims. Yet it was those sacrifices as well that helped contribute to our country. A life-threatening journey, the risk of not finding any new land at all, the idea of possibly having to leave behind all they cherished and loved. Another example of history presented from only one side of the fence is the Civil War. While the main issue underlying the war is taught from both sides and the hardships faced by soldiers are taught, the sacrifices of those at home is not taught. Worried mothers, whose sons have gone in search of glory, people giving up everything to support a war they man not even care about, those are only some examples of the sacrifices made by those on the other side of the fence. The same remains true of other wars until World War II, when women and children at home began making an effort to contribute to the national fight. It is then interesting to apply this situation and compare it to the War in Iraq today. With support at home during World War II, there was a strong base of moral support. In the War in Iraq, there is hardly any support from home that can even be comparable to that of women at home during World War II. During World War II, women were filling in at factory jobs where needed, even Girl Scouts would help sell liberty bonds to assist the war effort. But none of that is seen today. The War in Iraq is also considered comparable to the Vietnam War in lack of support.

I have always held a unique interest in history. The greatest impact history has made on my life however, is the effect it has had on my views of certain aspects of foreign policy, most notably in regards to some issues in East Asia. For instance, with the issue of Dokdo island, I believe that it belongs to Korea because of historical records. However, one of my bigger concerns lies in the actual relations between Korea and Japan. I believe that if Japan were to acknowledge the truth that history shows, apologize, and accept the past, then relations would improve immensely. Germany does not deny that the Holocaust took place in their country, and that their country was at the cause of it, and enjoys relatively positive relations with most countries around the world. If history were only to be acknowledged and accepted (for instance, they do not teach students about Japanese war crimes) in Japan, relations with other countries could improve immensely.

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2nd Place -
Sophmore Leonardtown High School

Travis Mattingly

"I suddenly had a feeling that it was all connected. And I could see everything that had happened... and everything that was going to happen. And it was all connected."
                                                            - Eric Finch, V for Vendetta

History shapes the future, no matter the circumstance; the past will always sculpt the future. History is responsible not only for where the world is today and tomorrow, but history is also responsible for where I am today and where I will be tomorrow. History seems to repeat itself, a pattern, one might say it is coincidence. But, there is no coincidence, there is only the illusion of it Fate is what history determines, not just our own individual fates, but the fates of everyone. We all connected, all bound by this one fate, we all have endured this same history. The differences between us as people result from how we choose to interpret and act upon that History. To know our history is the only way we can definitively make the right choices to avoid fates that should never happen again. You, me, my friend, your brother, my sister are all alike in this circumstance, we are all connected and all share fates that are interdependent upon one another. History impacts the lives of everyone, and that is why it is our duty to know "where we've been" to project "where were going".

Almost 100 years ago, half a world away, a foreign superpower of the time invaded Iraq. The British entered Iraq following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, encountering fierce underground resistance and sectarian violence even in those days. Great Britain consolidated the nations of Mesopotamia, merging the three provinces of Mosul, Baghdad, and Basra into one Iraq. These borders were created without respect to the native inhabitants of the new Iraq. After 12 years of guerilla warfare and a sapping campaign, Britain withdrew from Iraq. Fast forward to the present, and the same problems have bogged the United States down in Iraq as sectarian violence prevents unity. Over 3,000 Americans have fought and died in Iraq, meeting the same problems as the British. Here, St. Mary's county has lost some of its' own to this repetitive conflict Somehow, we have found ourselves connected to people so far away geographically, a reminder we are all impacted by our actions, our History. If the United States might have considered the failure of the British a century prior perhaps our own mishaps might have been anticipated. James Higgins, a family friend, was killed in combat while saving 6 of his comrades. This rough chain of events; British invasion, American invasion, the death of James Higgins is all connected. Imagine what might have been different with just a slight alteration of this timeline, this history. What if someone had evaluated the failure of the British, and perhaps James might still be here? History connects all of us on a global scale and personal one, to learn from our own history is to understand the history of others.

This concept of interdependent fates unites us all; it makes us all equal. We all contribute to this History, to this World, to the lives of everyone. My family is one of those native St. Mary's County families, one of those that would be here even if the Base had never been built. But my family is no less definitive in our county's history as your family, or anyone else's family. It doesn't matter where we come from, or what race or religion we are. We all share in this together; we all share this History that makes our culture. We all determine what our own future holds by learning what we can from our history, from other's history, from History. Each and every one of us is a factor in the future, without exception, we each affect others, and others affect us. Though history may be portrayed more on one side than the other, as Alonzo Gaskin expressed, it does not matter because we have all made contributions to this country, to the world, no matter what the History Books say.

I was asked "How has history impacted your life?" But, it is not how history has impacted me, but how I have impacted History. We all must take an active role in our history, lest we repeat the mistakes of others. If we can make a positive difference through the awareness of history then it is worth it. If any life may be preserved by our historical knowledge then it is our duty to preserve it. People like Alonzo Gaskin and Ralph Igna.tius Butler both seem to understand the importance of participation in history by all. Every individual has a part to play in history, and the knowledge of past history can help us play that part the right way, not only for ourselves but for everyone else, as well. We are all connected by common history, and we must add contribute to it.

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1st Place -
Sophmore Great Mills High School

Matthew (Darius) Randall

If American contributions were to be divided by race and weighed, no side would outweigh the other. If this is true then why does the American history book act as a moon and eclipse African American advancements. From what I gathered from his quote, Alonzo Gaskin had the same sentiments. Throughout my life I felt this way. The inadequate history forced upon us excludes lesser known black advancements. I am now forced to comply with the teachings of "white America."

It is true: whites have helped to shape America, but so have blacks. Some of our most famous inventions are made by blacks: traffic lights, the cotton gin, and also the broom. Whites believe that if they do not go into detail about black advancements they will simply disappear. If they disappear whites can maintain their false sense of superiority and prove it to the average uneducated citizen.

By keeping these successful African Americans covered by unessential "white history", young blacks are tricked into believing that an influential black is very rare. African American youth then begin to think they can only succeed in music and sports. I know that throughout history many blacks have felt the same way. The quote expressed by Alonzo Gaskin has given me great motivation to educate myself. I want to become a great leader of sorts. I want to be an idol to my disenfranchised peers, to show them that I can achieve success despite my color. I want to be remembered in history in the same vein as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.

Throughout my lifespan I've read many books about black history and black advancements. I feel as though the more that I read, the more I shed light on the truth and brighten my future. I try my best to pass my extensive knowledge, but, because of the way that our history has been hidden from the uneducated black masses, my plan fails.

Today, the crisis is due once again to low awareness by the black community. This also is a repeat of the same issues blacks had as a whole in the 40's and 50's. Because so many negative images were embedded in the everyday society, blacks were stuck in a mentality where the white stereotypical image was essential to being beautiful. Black citizens would get perms to straighten their hair and also denounce black girls of darker complexions. Around the 60's and 70's, the black awareness movement penetrated the ears of a lot of people who were deafened by the waters of the mainstream. The black man then left behind the processes and white fantasies and became in tune with the original Negro.

In this day and age the problem is reversed almost, but has the same outcome: self hatred. The black man that is portrayed today is actually endorsed. But the black man that is endorsed is very primitive. He is shown giving into the most primal instincts such as killing and praising money. These views are spread through the mainstream by way of movies and music where the black man is often a thug and an addict of expensive jewelry and cars. The youth looks up to these Idols and feel as though the black man is supposed to be this way. They are further pushed by black parents who are aware of the content and allow their children to listen to the "50 cents" and "Lil' waynes" of the world. It saddens me that the youth cannot see past these obvious ploys to "brain wash" them.

Though I've only begun to scratch the surface of the meaning of the quote, I must end. Alonzo Gaskin's quote has empowered and influenced me to venture on my own to study my people's great and influential past. I live my life by the quote and will die with the history of my ancestors' achievements firmly grasped in my consciences.

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