Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Yearning to be Free
Freedom Week
Reading Comprehension for July 5
Mankind's hunger for freedom begins in the crib. Babies cry-and sometimes climb-to get out of bed. Haven't you seen a mother or father trying to hold a struggling baby who clearly wanted to be set free? Put a toddler in a playpen, and he may play quietly for a while, but soon he demands his freedom. Toddlers giggle with delight as they run away from the parent who is calling for them. When they feel restrained by their clothes, what do little ones do? They strip them off! They find freedom in throwing their diapers to the winds!
Yes, we are born with a desire for freedom. If you don't believe it, think of those who were born into slavery. Their parents were slaves, their grandparents were slaves, and as soon as they were old enough to follow orders, those little ones were trained as slaves too. Yet, having never experienced freedom, they grew up longing for the day when they might be set free. Some took incredible risks to gain freedom. They didn't have to experience freedom to know that it was desirable.
Freedom is worth fighting for. However, some people don't believe in fighting for freedom. "What good is freedom," they ask, "if you die in the fight for it?" That is putting a selfish, shortsighted spin on it. The men of the Revolutionary War did not stop to count the personal cost. Some of them lost their property, their families, and even their own lives in the fight for America's freedom. Patrick Henry declared, "Give me liberty, or give me death." The British army captured Nathan Hale, a 21-year-old American patriot. They hung him as a spy. His last words as he stood on the gallows were, "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country." These men believed freedom was not only worth fighting for, but was also worth dying for. During the 20th century, freedom continued to be valued highly. Our 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, expressed it well when he said, "We would rather die on our feet than live on our knees." Before him, Calvin Coolidge--our 30th president--had said, "Freedom is not only bought with a great price; it is maintained by unremitting effort." A coward may not believe that freedom is worth a fight, but the brave know that it is worth even their last breath.
