Values – Gun control in the US

 In this text, I will reflect on gun control in the USA. Lately there have been several shootings in the USA, and many politicians blame the right for everyone to own a firearm.

The word value can mean many things. For some, it can be money or power, while it for others can be human rights. To me, values are democracy, peace, having people around you who appreciate you, and you appreciate them. The list goes on. The importance of values appears in many aspects of our life and society, but the values we have, depend a lot on what cultures we live in and our living conditions. For some, clean water is a rare luxury, while others take it for granted. The diversity is big, and it really is no easy answer to what values are.

In the declaration of independence, it says, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” The right to carry a weapon in the USA is an important value to many, and it’s a touchy issue among them. Lately, there have been several shootings in the USA, and current president Barack Obama think it’s too easy for individuals to acquire firearms. Obama recently announced that you would have to implement a background check on gun purchases in the US, which potentially could be a closer step to less shootings. Due to the many conservative people in the congress, and US, he managed to make the big change in American politics before his final state of the union on January 12. The 2nd amendment is very important to many, and an important value in the American culture.

I think the right to carry a weapon in the US is important to many, because it’s a big part of their history. In all the previous generations, guns has been allowed, and many Americans probably think it is unfair to remove the right for people to keep and bear arms, when they have nothing to do with the shootings taking place in the US. Many Americans feel safer when they are able to protect themselves with guns, and it has always been an important value in their life.

To conclude, what values are, depends on who you ask. In America, guns obviously is a both historical and personal value many wants to keep. If the removal of guns is the best decision, or to solve it with more guns is better, is a an important discussion Americans should solve before more shootings take place.

Events in American History

Revolution

1. There were 13 colonies by the time of the French and Indian war.
2. Since the French and Indian War had been expensive for King George 3., he taxed the colonies heavily. This resulted in protesters throwing English tea into the Boston harbour.
3. The Revolutionary war began in Boston, when some 700 British soldiers marched from Boston to Concord. The Americans knew they were coming, and the war begun.
4. The colonies declared their independence 4th July 1776 in Philidelphia. Thomas Jefferson penned the words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights: Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Slavery and the Civil War

1. The first group of slaves arrived in America as early as 1619.
2. In the late 1700s there was a movement trying to abolish slavery, and in 1807 the US made the importation of new slaves illegal.
3. Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860.
4. After Lincoln was elected, South Carolina left the Union, and was followed by 10 other states.
5. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in 1863.

The USA in WWI and WWII

1. Woodrow wilsons policy in the beginning of WWI, is called isolationism, and involves a nation to stay out of war.
2. When an American boat was attacked in 1917, Wilson had to declare war on Germany. Otherwise, they would most likely stay out of the war.
3. League of nations was formed to secure peace. However, it didn't last long, mostly because of the allies harsh treatment of Germany after the war.
4. The US provided their allies in the beginning of WWII with arms and supplies, but as soon as Japan attacked the US naval base of Pearl Harbour, and Hitler declared war on the US four days later, Franklin Roosevelt had no other choice but to declare war on Germany and the Axis power.
5. Harry S. Truman was the president to make the decision to drop two atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
6. American women entered the workplace to play their part in the war effort. This also game American economy the biggest boost the natian had ever expirienced.

The Cold War

1. After WWII, one would expect the US and USSR to work together in reconstructing the post-war world, however this was not the case. The US and USSR, aswell as their allies, became locked in an international power struggle, known as the cold war.
2. The first country who made it to the space was USSR.