How America Gained Its Freedom
By Chandler Berrett
Evangelistic Temple School, Tulsa
Seventh Grade

Today we have the right
To vote for whom we chose
To be the ruler of our country
Until the next election
Yet this was not always so

Americans are free of Kings
After years of bloody fighting
In the war against England
Our men cold and weary
Willingly fought the British

Paul Revere and William Dawes
Rode endlessly through the night
To warn America of the advancing British
And rushing to the field
With their muskets in hand
Came the Minutemen

The Lobsterbacks kept coming
And our men stood their ground
Until a shot rang through the air
And when the smoke finally
Left the area bare
They saw the bodies of men lost
Oh, the horrors of that day

We were suddenly plunged into war
And at Bunker Hill the words of Colonel Prescott rang true:
“Hold your fire until you see the whites of their eyes”
We lost that battle even though they listened to the Colonel
And we lost many more in time

But when Washington attacked Trenton
Crossing the Delaware on Christmas night
Victory was assured
For the enemies were still jolly and merry
Later Princeton fell to our cunning General as well

At Saratoga we had another victory
Our men were scattered thorough the fields
Until Benedict Arnold rallied them together
Soon the British marched past us hands raised
And at Valley Forge the Marquis de Lafayette
And Baron von Steuben trained the army
Then our soldiers marched to and fro professionally
Then we were a match for the British

Soon we persuaded the French to join our cause
General Rochambeau arrived with men and arms
Giving us more navel power
To foil to the British at sea

Finally the war came to a close
At Yorktown the British were surrounded
The Americans cut-off all land escape routes
While the French Navy cut them off by sea
The British food and ammunition ran low
And one morning when the sun rose---a glorious sight

The white flag came toward the American’s battlements
General Cornwallis surrendered
Which brought the war to an end
Making America a free and independent nation

Now in this free country
We must take advantage of our liberty
And vote for leaders
Who will guide our nation
Through times of war and peace