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The Charlotte Mousel Scholarship is a CFRW Southern Division Scholarship. The club winner has the opportunity to win at the County level and then the Division level. East Valley’s Winner was Danielle Nicholas, a student from Xavier College Preparatory High School.
The County winner was from the Riverside Club. She went on to win the Southern Division. When a student wins all three they earn a total of 3,500. This year it was $1,000 for the club, $1,000 for the county and $1,500 for the Division.
EAST VALLEY CHARLOTTE MOUSEL SCHOLARSHIP
WINNING ESSAY.
A monarchy once ruled among the people—one in which government power was neither elected nor distributed. The king ruled, and his subjects obeyed, though some of his citizens had a dream: to live under a nation of pure democracy, one in which they would have a voice, which would be united, and protected their rights to freedom.
This was an age of Enlightenment. New ideals regarding philosophy and cultural life were being implemented. These ideals consisted of liberty, democracy, republicanism, and religious tolerance, and how they could be applied to society with regard to human nature. The North American British colonists were the first to attempt, and in the end succeed, in creating a nation built on these principles. They did this by creating and ratifying the constitution of the United States, a document that was unique in and of its time and even to this day.
The United States Constitution embodied the values of a model democracy. It strived to protect the rights of its people, and ensured that no one faction would come to power. For the first time in history the people gained the power to determine how they would be governed, and to take part in the creation and regulation of a working democratic government. It allowed political participation to become conventional, by giving the nation's citizens the right to vote on a variety of matters, ranging from who would be placed in office, to contemporary issues.
Democracy is only one ideal which the constitution embodies. The first ten amendments of the Constitution known as the Bill of Rights, ensure the protection of citizens’ rights. The Constitution essentially assures that the government will never become so powerful that it will be able to negate the rights’ of its citizens. The method of regulating government is outlined in the constitution, by separating the government into three branches, which allows government to balance power through a system of checks and balances so that no one section of government will ever have complete control.
United States citizens should be grateful for how far the framers of our Constitution have taken us. Without this foundation, we would not be the prosperous and powerful nation we are today. We have many freedoms that citizens of other countries do not have. Many countries still live under the constraints of communism (aka tyranny), socialism, and monarchies. We have been given opportunities to gain both monetary and social status through hard work. The freedom to believe and worship different religions has practically become an entitlement. We do not have to pray in secrecy or restrain our self expression. We can run for government positions instead of being ruled by someone placed in power. We can protest, contribute to media, and partake in political debates.
It is important for today’s citizens to realize what the framers of the Constitution intended for our nation. With our rights protected, we must utilize the power we have to contribute and limit the scope of government. According to the framers, the government was never intended to have too much power. In order for a democratic society to prosper, its citizens must exercise their rights by participating, politically, including such things as voting, political discussion, and even protest when absolutely necessary. It’s important that we as citizens fight to ensure that government has its proper place and role in our society. Without understanding this, and by failing to put to work the ideals embodied by our constitution, we risk the continued success of our thriving democracy. The United States of America and all it is today, with its flourishing economy, technological advances, and world-class education—none of it would have been possible without the drive of our founding fathers and the perseverance to create the Constitution of the United States.
A copy of the East Valley RWF newsletter "The Voice"
is available for download. To have a copy emailed to you directly please subscribe today.
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