America’s gift to my generation
America’s greatest gift to my generation is technology. In the 18th century, when our country was born, nobody dreamed of how much technology would add to our lives. Technology is a gift we should never take for granted. We use it every day. I understand that technology is used all over the world, but without Americans such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Steve Jobs, and many other influential inventors, technology would not be nearly as impressive and beneficial as it is today. Technology is truly a gift that many Americans discovered, created, and continue to give to all future generations.
There are endless examples of the technology we use every day in my generation. We use transportation on the land with cars, trucks, trains, motorcycles, and service vehicles. We also use it on the water with ships and boats. In the air, planes, helicopters, and fighter jets rely on the latest technology for efficiency and safety. Top technology companies are currently working on automated cars that can safely drive themselves. Can you imagine not having to worry about life-threatening car accidents?
Another way we constantly use technology is for communication. Rather than handwritten letters or spoken conversations, we communicate mostly with phones, tablets, computers and televisions. This technology provides education and entertainment. It allows us to correspond face to face on computer screens with family and friends across the globe. We can research, learn, and find information as fast as our fingers can type.
Technology is used to make our homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals run smoothly and efficiently. We use toasters, ovens, and refrigerators to store and prepare our food. Lights, air conditioning, heaters, washing machines, clothes dryers, and fans all use electricity and technology to run. Computers hold medical records, student records, and official government documents.
Technology helps medical professionals evaluate and monitor patients, cure illnesses, and perform surgeries to sustain lives. Technology can be compared to the gift of a scrapbook. We keep adding on to it, updating it, so it shows new developments and discoveries. Just like a scrapbook, it is a special piece of history on which to look back. I believe America’s greatest gift to my generation is technology, and I am grateful for everyone in America who contributes to this tremendous gift.
Ashley Angerman and her family moved to Daniel Island four years ago. Ashley is in the sixth grade at Palmetto Christian Academy in Mt. Pleasant. She won first place with the essay above at the local and district level of the Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest on “America’s Gift to My Generation.” Her essay then moved to the state level. She recently attended an awards banquet with the VFW in Ladson. Ashley, who received a $100 award at each level, was honored to represent her school and community and grateful to be recognized by some of our greatest heroes, America’s veterans. According to Ashley’s mother, Liz, she chose to write about technology because it is different than the freedoms that first pop into your mind. “The gift of technology is definitely unique to this rising generation,” said Liz.