Welcome to the fifth activity of the Give Me Liberty awards program. In our last activity, we talked about how government works, using the example of going to a restaurant with your friends. Your friends were the legislative branch. The driver was the president. And then we discussed the Supreme Court.

In this video, you’ll learn more about ways you can take specific action to make sure our system keeps working the way it should. Let’s start by watching this short video.

Transcription:

Imagine you’re about to go on an airplane and you notice something about the wing that makes you feel concerned. Maybe the wing looks like it’s not bolted on the right way, or the engine might catch on fire. Would you worry more about getting the airplane fixed, or finding a good pilot?

We think America’s government is like an airplane. If it’s not maintained properly, it falls apart and people get hurt. Most of the time we don’t think about whether it’s safe and everything is working the way it should. But, sometimes things need to get fixed.

America’s government always needs attention. Thankfully, we have a great foundation to build on – the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. America will take us where we want to go. It’s just got to be maintained.

After the founders signed the Constitution, people asked them what form of government they’d created. Benjamin Franklin said, “A republic – if you can keep it.” The founders meant that it was everyone’s responsibility to keep our government working the way it should. It’s our responsibility to maintain the government, just like mechanics look after their airplanes.

Unfortunately, sometimes we are more concerned about our pilot – elected officials, our destination – political issues, or the snacks they serve on the flight than we are about keeping the airplane safe to fly. That’s dangerous because the Pilot doesn’t make sure the plane works the way it should. That’s the mechanic’s job. If the mechanic doesn’t do their job, the plane will crash.

In America, you can’t push off your responsibility as a “government mechanic” to other people. That’s your responsibility. Unless citizens like you and me do our part, America stops working.

This may seem scary at first, but we’re in luck. We’ve got an owner's manual – a guide to tell us exactly what to do. For us, that’s the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution with all the amendments including the Bill of Rights. They’ll tell us exactly what is broken and how to fix it, so our government can work like brand-new again.

Join us as we study in greater depth the “owner's manual” for America, so you can do your part to keep her flying high, and free.