Preserving the Past

  Save our history is a campaign geared toward preserving America's history across the country. Not only does it try to save history, but it also makes an effort to educate young people about history in the classroom. Save our History is sponsored by the History Channel and works toward pushing a state tax to preserve the very foundation that America was founded on. The preservation of significant historical sites sounds good to the mass population until they find out about the means such campaigns as Save our History use to preserve these sites. Most of the funds that Save our History use are mainly through a small percentage of tax dollars. 

    A small price to pay considering the amount of land that is going to waste in America to "big businesses." Numerous sites that have large value of helping shape this nation are being built over, filled in with banks, shopping centers and dead end cul-de-sacs. For instance a city like Philadelphia with all of its historical sites had to close its doors last winter. This converted three-story brick building was the ground of where Joe Frazier forged his dynamic and prosperous boxing career. Plans have the building being renovated and turned into offices; simply what America needs, clearly. 

   My paper will contain examples of how the landmarks of America are endangered due to the rapid expansion of the country. It will appeal to tax payers and future taxpayers, who might be concerned with preserving the past, present, and future of America. The controversy is where is this money going to come from? In these economic hard times, where the power of the almighty dollar is struggling to hold on to its reputation, tax payers don't want to shell out more money then they have too. In order to fuel this campaign, these dollars have to come from more than the usual "rich history buff" investors. The pool of revenue to preserve these historic relics has to come from the mass population who are paying taxes and the majority of people who don't know the details about this campaign just think that its just another government sponsored organization milking them of their hard earned money. 

   Unfortunately there hasn't been a big enough site in the past 10 years that have called most Americans to rally around the preservation of history. However a trip that I recently took through the Virginia country side really made me think due to the fact that signs marked with "Civil War Trails" were overshadowed by Wal-Marts, grocery stores, banks, and recently built residential neighborhoods. It's sad to see how the greed of America has lead us to destroy grounds that once held the footprints of men and women who help forge this great nation. At the rate America is growing in my lifetime some of the most influential sites like Independence Hall, The Trinity Church in New York, Mount Vernon, and potentially other historical sites could be victim to expansion. I'm afraid by the time the people of America realize what is being done to its history it could be too late and that the ignorance and stupidity of America will rein supreme.