American Heroes: Then and Now

When you think of America, what do you think of? You may think of freedom and of human rights. Freedom of Speech. Freedom of religion. You may think of the people of the United States from all backgrounds, races, and ethnicities, all combined into one country. Martin Luther King Jr. believed this to be true. In his speech, "I have a Dream," he said...

"I say to you today, my friends, that even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed- we hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal."

We, as Americans, have this opportunity to make this dream come true. Americans have so many wonderful choices in life because of this dream and our Freedoms. Americans can choose from a variety of sports, religion, equality, technology, and opportuntities. Yet unfortunately, there are also the negative end of these choices- greed, hatred, prejudices, and fear.

After the tragedy of September 11, 2001, you may think of all of the brave people who have helped save so many lives. Some of the characteristics that made them so great were dedication, selflessness, heroism, perserverance, loyalty, bravery, integrity, and patriotism. They were caring, proud, honorable, courageous, admirable, respected, and willing to die so that others could live. They are some of the heroes of today who live and die to fulfill Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream.

The staff and students at Jackson Creek Middle School support the promotion of happiness and pursuit of equality between all races and religions. This webpage hopes to provide you with information about a few of the many American heroes that have shaped our world community and have helped equality between all races become a reality. Due to the events of September 11th, the research and the webpages are dedicated to all the American heroes that represent the goodness of the American spirit and to those who helped make Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream of equality between all races a reality.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a famous civil rights activist during the 1960's. He stood up for African-American rights in peaceful ways and helped everyone to realize that all people are created equally. Martin Luther King, Jr. paved the way for people of all races to be treated equally. He made special speeches and public appearances to help promote his cause. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the many people who helped America to become tolerant of all races.

After the events of September 11th, Mr. Kelley challenged his mass communications class to respond to the question, "What is the American Spirit?" The class discussed the many qualities that we witnessed on that terrible day and the days that followed. As students, we believe that we have answered by defining the American Spirit as a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of courage, liberty, and equality throught the following web pages.

Students were required to select an American that they felt represented the American Spirit that Martin Luther King Jr. helped to create. All of the students read a biography before they created their web pages. All the images on the web pages are from copyright free sources or copyright permission was granted for our use.

We hope that you enjoy these pages as they serve to remind us that through the American Spirit, we can all work to make our world a beloved community. To learn more about other American heroes who made an impact on the world community, select a name from the links below.

Created by: Mr. Kelley's 8th Grade Mass Communication Class
Last Updated: January 3, 2002