The New World

As the dust clears, a horrible landscape shows itself to anyone who is still alive to see it. World War III has ended only to leave in it’s wake the bleak carnage and destruction of hundreds of nuclear weapons. The planet lay riddled with huge craters full of the remnants of our civilization. In all directions as far as the eye could see, huge piles of rubble and masonry mixed with the human dead. All around, nothing can be heard but the silence of an empty world. The crackling fires and collapsing buildings make the silence more ominous than the voice of Satan himself. Has the world finally come to total annihilation? Has all human life ceased to exist? How could something like this Wait?! What is that? Could it be? Yes, out of the low floating dust cloud, through the smoke of the fires, over the wreckage of once busy cities, man lives!

Around the world, survivors began to gather in small groups. Just the sight of another live person was enough to give each one hope. By way of underground telecommunications, it was discovered that there were exactly one hundred survivors sparsely scattered throughout the world. Upon finding the few remaining aircraft and sea vessels, all one hundred survivors were able to gather at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was decided that life could not continue to exist on Earth. There were little to no natural resources left and all animal life had ceased to exist. While the survivors were trying to decide what to do, someone noticed twelve people who had not been there before. As the newcomers were being questioned, someone recognized them. They were people who had died years ago, famous people. Somehow, the surge of the nuclear war had brought these people back from the dead. The one hundred survivors had come up with eight leadership positions. From these twelve people from history, only eight will be given the chance to be leaders in the New World.

The role of President was the most important. Without a good leader, the project of starting the New World would be impossible. After hours of careful consideration, the presidential role was given to Sitting Bull. The survivors chose Sitting Bull for this position because of the dedication he had always shown to his people. In the past, one of Sitting Bull’s biggest concerns was to make sure his people had food and shelter, even during wars and harsh weather (Josephy 98). He made any allowances needed to get these resources, even if it meant making personal sacrifices (Josephy 98). Because Sitting Bull looked out for the well being of his people, he was the one that people came to for advice, even though he was not the chief (Josephy 99). He had the trust and respect of everyone in his village. Even chiefs in surrounding villages knew him by name. In the New World of the survivors, a leader would need to be someone like this who could be trusted and looked up to. Also, when the Indians went to war, he would not let the soldiers take his land. He was the only leader of the Indians who would not surrender to these soldiers (Josephy 101). This was a brave thing to do then because the soldiers could easily have just shot and killed him. These qualities are what makes Sitting Bull the best man for the role of President in the New World.

The role of Vice President is the next in line of importance. A good Vice President is needed to handle things while the president is away or be there to take over his duties if he dies. For this job, the survivors chose Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman was chosen for this position because of her strong heart and bravery. She led many of her fellow slaves to freedom (Epstein 97). Because she led so many people to freedom, she became known as the “Moses of her people”, after the Bible story where Moses led his people through the Red Sea (Epstein 119). Later in life, Harriet Tubman became associated with the Underground Railroad where she earned the title “conductor of the Underground Railroad” (Epstein 129). Tubman’s strong heart and dedicated attitude is what makes her the best person for the job of Vice President.

The Secretary of Defense should be someone with deft military knowledge and battle experience. For this job, the survivors chose General George Patton. Patton was a very ambitious man, always setting higher goals for himself. He said, “By perseverance and study and eternal desire, any man may be great” (http://members.aol.com/PattonsGHQ/textfiles/sophy.html). By saying this, Patton showed his belief that in order to get things done, they must be done. This is one of his best leadership qualities. During hard battles, if Patton thought that the enemy was overpowering him, he was never afraid to retreat if it meant saving the lives of his men (http://members.aol.com/PattonsGHQ/textfiles/sophy.html). Patton never believed, however, in all the peace talks and war prevention measures that everyone talked about. He believed that “the more people who tried to end wars ended up causing them” (http://members.aol.com/PattonsGHQ/textfiles/sophy.html). Patton’s ambition and ability to know when he has been defeated make him the best man for the job of Secretary of Defense.

The Secretary of Treasury needs to be someone with good financial habits and a keen understanding of the economic system. The most qualified person for this job would be Alexander Hamilton. The survivors chose Alexander Hamilton because he was exceptionally knowledgeable about the government and the way the world works (”Alexander Hamilton”). Hamilton was an excellent writer and had developed good work habits. The New World would need Hamilton to take care of all the money and establish a stable economic system. In the past, Alexander Hamilton was the man who came up with the proposal for the National Bank (”Alexander Hamilton”). If he could start a bank then, he would be able to do it again. Alexander Hamilton’s strong financial awareness make him the best qualified for the job of Secretary of Treasury.

The survivors decided that they would need someone to be in charge of the Science and Technology Department. With most of the human technology having been destroyed in the war, someone would need to re-invent this lost technology. For this job, the survivors chose Orville Wright. Throughout his life, Wright was very imaginative and eager to come up with new ideas (Marshall 13). Early in his life, Orville Wright used his imagination as he wrote for his high school newspaper (Marshall 12). It was because of that newspaper that Wright decided he wanted to be an inventor. Wright made many scientific contributions during his lifetime. In 1901, he developed the concept of the wind tunnel (Marshall 15). Perhaps Wright’s greatest accomplishment in life would be the airplane. At age thirty-two, Orville and his brother invented the first airplane (Marshall 16). An inventive mind like Orville Wright’s would be a necessity of the New World. This is why he is their choice as the leader of the Science and Technology Department.

In the New World, children would need to be educated. The survivors needed someone who liked children and was willing to learn and teach. For the job as Leader of the Department of Education, the survivors chose Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt was raised in a wealthy family where everything came easily. As an adult, she wanted every child to grow up with the same ease in life. Roosevelt always loved to help others and provide for her “fellow human beings” (Richards 34). Eleanor Roosevelt made a strong fight all through life against deprivation and persecution (Richards 49). Someone with this love of human life and a kind heart is what is needed in a good educator. This is why Eleanor Roosevelt makes the best Leader for the Department of Education.

In order to make sure people in the New World get along; someone will have to be in charge of the Department of Human Relations. The survivors chose John F. Kennedy for this position. Kennedy was the thirty-fourth president of the United States. He proved to be a very “easy to get along with” president (Sidey). While he was in office, Kennedy showed the world that he was a hard-working, determined man (Sidey). If he set out to do something, he was sure to get it done. The Space Race, for example, was something that Kennedy strongly believed in. It was because of him that America made it to the moon in 1969 (Sidey). Until his tragic death, Kennedy was looked up to by millions of Americans.

I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, in human liberty as the source of national action, in the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of out invention and our ideas. It is, I believe, the faith in our fellow citizens as individuals and as people that lies at the heart of the liberal faith. For liberalism is not so much a party creed or set of fixed platform promises as it is an attitude of mind and heart, a faith in man’s ability through the experiences of his reason and judgement to increase for himself and his fellow men the amount of justice and freedom and brotherhood which all human life deserves (http://www.geocities.com/ newgeneration/).

Someone who was so loved by his people would be the perfect person to head the Department of Human Relations.

People in the New World will probably want some kind of religion. In order for everyone to agree on a religion, someone will have to organize it. For this job, the survivors chose Anne Hutchinson. Being the oldest of thirteen children, Anne Hutchinson was often called on to help raise the other twelve (http://www.gale.com/gale/gwh/hutchin.html). At a young age, her father taught her to read the Bible. The survivors liked the fact that she had known religion all her life. Hutchinson joined others with her beliefs and their actions increased religious freedom in the American colonies (http://www.gale.com/gale/gwh/hutchin.html). Anne Hutchinson’s main belief was that “everyone was a sinner and you can only be saved by complete faith in God” (http://www.gale.com/gale/gwh/hutchin.html). Because of her loyalty to God, Anne Hutchinson would make the best leader of the Church.

The eight leadership positions have now been filled. There are still four people from history who did not get chosen. Margaret Sanger would not have been a good leader in the New World because she focused on making sure all women used birth control (http://gale.com/gale/gwh/sangerm.html). In the New World, there are only one hundred people. Reproduction is going to be crucial to the survival of the human race. Dorothea Dix would not have made a good leader in the New World because she mainly fought for the poor conditions of jails and insane asylums (http://www.glueumd.edu/ cligwp/bios/ddbio.html/). Hopefully, a mere one hundred people will be able to get along and there should be no reason to need jails or asylums. John Brown would not have made a good leader in the New World because he believed that “everyone should be free to do what they feel” (Iger). In order to start a New World, people will have to work together, not do their own thing. Robert Frost would not have been a good choice as one of the New World leaders because he was an extremely shy person (Thompson). Frost was easily embarrassed and tried his best to stay out of the public eye (Thompson). Frost was also a homosexual (Thompson). Reproducing in the New World was crucial to the continuation of the human race.

Now, having all the leadership positions filled, and everyone accounted for, a place to live needed to be found. Because the space shuttles were stored underground they were unharmed. Orville Wright went to work and got the launch system working and everyone began to board the shuttle. As the brave group of New World colonists blasted off, they looked out of the shuttle windows and watched the Earth’s final sunset. As they left the atmosphere and began drifting through space, everyone realized they had no idea where they were going. They sat down and let the shuttle drift to wherever it would go. Each person knew that when, and if they found a place to live, they would have the leadership needed to start a glorious New World.

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