Americanism

Americanism can be described as a feeling of love and respect for our country and its symbols.   American Legion Post 234’s three Americanism programs focus on providing young people in our area with information and opportunities to personally express their feelings for America and what it stands for.

Buckeye Boys State and Buckeye Girls State are separate, eight day summer programs held on Ohio college campuses.  Students, who are about to become high school seniors, live work and play together while learning about Ohio state government.  Students actively participate as elected and appointed officials who work with a budget, pass laws and operate a mock state government.  Discussions with past participants sponsored by Post 234 highlight very positive responses to the programs, particularly the opportunity to work with other students from around the state and the detailed knowledge gained about how state government works.

Post 234 developed and annually presents programs on the American Flag to fifth graders in the Brunswick and Highland School Districts and two local parochial schools.  The program includes stories on the origin of the flag during the Revolutionary War and how it came to look like it does today.  The proper ways to display the flag and show it respect are discussed and students are given a copy of the Flag Code adopted by the U.S. Congress.

Students are asked to tell what the flag means to them and every session includes many interesting questions.  A fun highlight of each program is a demonstration on folding the flag in a triangle.  Students fold the flag under the guidance of the instructor and generally do a pretty good job.

Early in the school year, Brunswick High School students have an opportunity to take a 50 question test on government from the township to the national level.  The multiple choice questions cover government history, structure and current issues or events.  Recent questions include:  How many people must reside in an area for it to become a city (5,000)?  How long does a U.S. Supreme Court Justice serve (Life)?  The highest scoring boy and girl in each of the three high school classes receives a plaque from Post 234 and their tests are forwarded to the state level for possible additional prizes.

American Legion Post 234 is actively committed to fostering Americanism in our young people because it makes them better informed about our country when they are young and will help make them better citizens as they mature.