Over the past two centuries, there have been many great Americans who have affected the lives of everyone around them. In doing so, they have also shown great love and pride for their country and have been willing to stand up for what they believe in. Six Americans, in particular stand out among the rest, and these six Americans have truly reverted the definition of patriotism to something completely different. Normally, patriotism is thought of as devoted love, support, and defense of one’s country, but these individuals took it to the next level. They have changed how Americans think of love for their country.

One of these individuals is Patrick Henry. Famous for saying, “Give me liberty or give me death!”. He is known to have sparked the revolution in his home state, Virginia. Henry is an American icon who changed the way that people defended their country. The essence of patriotism is a dream of what we aspire to be as a nation and this is exactly what Patrick Henry thought. He fought for what he wanted his future country to be. He and many other founding fathers strived to engrave the US’s ideals. His fight against England wasn’t the only battle going on at the time. The American Revolution was also a type of civil war. He and many others also had to fight against people within their own country. A lot of people didn’t want to be split apart from Britain because they didn’t think they could make it on their own. This is the ultimate act of patriotism. Paul Revere’s midnight ride, as it is called, is what started the American Revolution. He rode to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams that the British were coming. By doing so, he saved them both from being arrested, and instead was given up himself, by being arrested. He showed great patriotism by being able to give up himself in order to save his country from being overtaken by the British. Even though he grew up to become one of the greatest patriots of America, he started off as a silversmith that had taken over his dad’s business. He did a lot of engraving in order to make money and some designing of cups and bowls. One of his most famous pieces was an engraved and painted piece of silver, depicting the Boston Massacre. Revere hoped that by doing so, it would draw attention to the political issues within the colonies leading up to the war. Other colonies wouldn’t be able to hear news about the massacre for a couple of weeks, and this helped spread the news. Paul Revere started as a messenger for the Massachusetts Committee of Safety; warning and alerting other colonies of dangers that arose. In time, he kicked it up a notch and became the self-appointed messenger for the colonies. In 1773, Revere rode through the colonies to tell people all that had happened at the Boston Tea Party. One year later, he rode to warn New Hampshire about the approaching British troops. These events all led up to his famous ride to Concord, shouting “The British are coming!”

Patrick Henry and Paul Revere both great examples of how the definition of patriotism has changed. They practically invented the word patriotism. They were willing to risk their lives in order to establish a new country. Both could have gotten arrested at any point and hung for treason, but they kept going and were able to fight what they believed in. Their actions are the ones that formed our country. Henry and Revere were some of the first American role models and still are looked up to. The government that they designed still stands. The US political system is one of the longest standing systems in the world. This shows that the Founding Fathers knew what they were doing when they fought for freedom. Many of the freedoms the US has now, such as freedom of religion or speech are here because of individuals like these. The love they had for a brand new country inspired and motivated them to keep on going. The American Revolutionary War was no piece of cake. It was 13 small colonies against their parent country. Each battle that they won was a step closer to freedom. Todd Beamer is another example of an American hero. He died fighting to save his country. Beamer is known as one of the 3 most admired individuals in America. Flying aboard United Flight 93 to San Francisco, his plane was hijacked by terrorists who planned to crash the plane into the White House. He and other passengers fought against the 4 terrorists and prevented the plane from crashing into the capital, but instead into a field in Pennsylvania. Because of their heroic acts, they prevented many deaths that could have happened if the plane had crashed into the White House. It was said that after 9/11, everyone helped in any way possible. What some people don’t know is that the helping was going on during 9/11 also. Todd Beamer was helping even while his plane was crashing. Because of his patriotism and faith in God, he was able to overtake the terrorists and not just sit back and watch. He was not filled with fear, but instead an incredible love for his country and everything it stood for.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, started out like a normal day for many Americans. Many just went to work and were expecting the usual. Not for Rick Rescorla. Ever since a bomb had gone off in the basement of the South Tower in 1993, he had been expecting another terrorist attack. He is one person who had predicted 9/11. Rescorla was the head of security at Morgan Stanley, located in the South Tower. After the bomb, he realized that Morgan Stanley did not have an evacuation plan. He came up with a plan and the employees practiced it again and again. He knew that if another attack came, they would have to be ready. Once the North Tower was hit, the employees in the South Tower were told to stay calm and in their desks. Rescorla couldn’t believe it. He used a bullhorn and ordered everyone to evacuate. Before the plane hit the South Tower, the employees were already on their way down. In order to keep people calm, he began singing songs, including one based on “Men of Harlech,” from his hometown. Nearly every employee had made it to the ground before the building had collapsed. Rescorla realized that not everyone had made it down, and headed back inside to go rescue folks. He was last seen on the 10th floor, on the way to help a fellow colleague. When the South Tower collapsed, he died inside. He saved 2,687 lives that day. Only 13 employees weren’t able to make it out of the tower before it collapsed. Rescorla put his own life above others and saved over 2,000 lives. Because of his willingness to save others’ lives, he showed how much he respected his country and his resilience to danger. He was truly a 9/11 hero who should be respected and honored for his bravery and courage. These two 9/11 heroes have changed what patriotism means to the US. Many people didn’t think of patriotism before these terrorist attacks. After the attacks, people were forced to examine how they had lived their lives. Their faith in security was shaken. Everyone was paralyzed with fear and disbelief. People began to realize that everything could be gone in an instant, and for some people, it was all gone. Many had lost family members and friends due to 9/11. US citizens had a major perspective shift. They had been taking things for granted. The US meant a lot to them, and it took a terrorist attack for them to realize that. It also took these individuals to show others how they could show love for their country. While these men had sacrificed their lives out of love, that didn’t mean everyone had to. It was possible to respect and honor your country without giving up your life. If they didn’t take the US’s freedoms for granted, it would show respect for the US.

Many people believe that what Colin Kaepernick has started is the total opposite of patriotism. What if his kneeling for the national anthem is his way of showing patriotism? However, these protests are showing that racial discrimination and injustice is still one of the bigger problems in the US. Many colored people still suffer from injustice and this is exactly what Colin Kaepernick is kneeling to protest. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, “When the government fails in those obligations, it is the responsibility of patriots to speak up and remind them of their duty.” Kaepernick is simply exercising his right to protest. Many people have very different opinions of what Kaepernick is doing. He simply is protesting in a way that will gain a lot of attention without him having to ever say anything. He is staying silent. He knows that actions speak louder than words. Some of the same people that have been calling Kaepernick and others “unpatriotic” have also been disrespecting our former president and first lady for the past eight years. Colin’s acts are not unpatriotic, he is kneeling to make a stand against police brutality in the US. His acts are leading many people to question, “Is the US living up to its ideals?” Especially the ones that Patrick Henry, Paul Revere, and so many others worked so hard to secure.