In the article, “Smorgasbord of influential figures receive Obama’s Medal of Freedom” a Washington Post article adapted by Newsela, it details the 21 men and women receiving medals for their contribution to the nation. This is the highest honor a civilian can get during a time of peace. It first began in 1963, with President John F. Kennedy, and it is only given by U.S. Presidents, which is a great honor to have. Some people in the past whom have received this award are Norman Rockwell, Alexander Calder, Andrew Wyeth, Maya Lin, Ellen DeGeneres, and Jasper Johns, nearly half of them were artists, actors or musicians, including singer Bruce Springsteen, actor Robert Redford and “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels, but there were also computer engineers and famous architects. These honorees reflected many of the ideals President Obama has talked about in office. President Obama also spoke to the people that came to the ceremony who fought for social justice and greater tolerance in our society. Also he praised a physicist named Richard Garwin who worked to reduce the “risk of nuclear war” after he helped invent the hydrogen bomb. The people who have received this award have all done something to benefit and make a difference in our country today.
The deeds of one cannot be hidden from the
…show more content…
Like this 7 year old girl who found a winning $100.00 lottery ticket and wanted to help the people in need by buying canned foods for her canned food drive at school ( The Huffington Post). This little girl could have done anything with that money, she could have bought toys or new clothes, but instead she decided to do something for someone else’s benefit, which should have been seen. If people just mainly focus on famous people then it will take ages to find a change in society, but if they slowly start to look in more they will find a world of change and