American Identity

America is commonly characterized as the greatest country in the world, the glorious “land of the free and the home of the brave”, “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. This idealization of the American identity conveniently focuses on what people want to hear and blurs out most everything else. In reality, Americans do not live up to the dreamscape created by our views, and we never really have. America is no longer characterized by its freedom and democracy, nearly every first world country can afford that luxury. Nor are we set apart by the great opportunities given to our people, for those are far from universal. We aren’t equal, we aren’t unified, we aren’t kinder or smarter or richer than any other country across the board. It’s easy to find the shortcomings of American culture, all the things we aren’t, but the things we are have proven to be more elusive. First, let’s examine the nots.

Since first settled by the Pilgrims, the United States has been a nation of immigrants united together in a common ideology of democracy. The concept of cultural assimilation is inapplicable to the United States, considering its very existence as a giant mixture of different cultures. Recent political events have been very foreboding towards the future of immigration into the United States. Therefore, it is important to recall that throughout all the 239 years the U.S. has been a country, immigrants have consistently shaped our nation into what it is today.

Historical events distinguish the change in the behavior and identity of a society. The United States is no exemption from this idea, as the events throughout American history has shaped the behavior and values of the American identity. Since the formal independence from Britain in 1783, to the compromise that ended Reconstruction in 1877, American identity has changed drastically through shifts in the American understanding of politics, ideology, economics, culture, and society.

“Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave. O'er the land and of the free, and the home of the brave.” These words from our beloved national anthem, are words that this country chooses to live by. Ladies and gentlemen will remove their caps, and then all rise for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. Most Americans have become comfortable about this right and pleasure that we have. To be able to show respect for the ones who aren’t here, and can’t even stand to do so. One professional American football player had another agenda for this time. He decided to kneel instead of stand like we have all become accustomed to. In my generation, we take our freedom and rights for granted. We do this, because we never had

Explain how ideas about democracy, freedom, and individualism in the colonial period found expression in the development of cultural values, political institutions, and American identity during and after the Revolutionary War.

The American identity is the cultivation of many different factors. To understand how we got to where we are today we must look back into history and examine the lifestyles of our ancestors. The values they held and the way their families functioned shaped the American identity as we know it today.

There is not one American identity. There is not a single consistent plan for what American policy is, should, or will be. Sure, this political scientist might present a plan for a specific crisis, but there is always a politician in the wings with another plan to counter the first. Every politician’s opinion is different, just as every citizen’s is. Our experiences shape our identities, as does the information we are fed in school, by our families and friends, as well as the media. The view I have of the United States and its place in the world is quite different than most because I am a first generation American. Moreover, my family comes from Venezuela, where their international policy is starkly different than America’s. The United States of America’s international role has unquestionably shaped my opinions, outlook, and behavior.

The American Identity. Such a broad term for such few words. Americans all have one thing in common. Whether you were born into riches or raised in the slums we all have have faced our struggles and persevered through them.

The American identity is different for everyone depending on where you came from and who you are today. Lots of immigrants moved to America seeking a better lifestyle and during that process they developed their own identity. There are many different cultures that moved to America some had hard times and some had great experiences. My ancestors migrated from Poland, they had many successes and many conflicts while moving to America that created their own identity.

The colors of red, white, and blue reflect the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness established over two centuries ago by the nation’s forebearers. Being American is about anticipating change and being provided with the environment to dream. Americans have dreamed of a more equal union, where Women obtain the right to vote and African Americans are social equals. The country’s images of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller inspire the American dream, where individuals are not satisfied with their socioeconomic standing and have the opportunity to progress. Furthermore, only a minor portion of the United States population is of Native American descent. Therefore, the United States is a country of immigrants,

In the early years of America’s foundation, a powerful air of uncapped potential, the desire for expansion and individual identification enamored the American people. Progress was inevitable as was cultural definition. But as time progressed, the feeling of unlimited strength, time and space transformed into something that, for better or worse, was no longer shared by later poets. Those of the “New World” came to realize that their world never really managed to leave behind the faults of the “Old.” Societal tension rose as different poets and authors struggled to pin down the direction of American culture and its ideals. When no solid idea was able to capture American culture adequately, the concept of an ever-evolving American identity

The thirteen colonies were a collection of British ruled territories that were made up of colonist that opposed the way they were being treated by their far-away motherland. No matter how different they started out as, they refused to let the British rule them when it seemed that they did not even care about the colonist, who were their subjects, well-being. After imposing taxes and strict rules and policies on them, the colonist decided they had had enough and began their struggle to independence. These colonies, once very diverse in the sense of economics and culture, unified despite their differences and attained what is now known as the American Identity.

     The third and most important value, I feel in America today, is morality. This is a tough subject to say weather or not a person is correct or if society is correct on their moral values. A person will only know in their heart if they are truly moral or not. Society has a set of morals that they set to live by in the world today and the moral values may change as everyday passes. That is that one good thing, I think, that society has an advantage over a single person. If society does not accept a value then society will gradually get rid of it and just the

I chose to write about the key components of the American identity in the 1600 to 1750. The colonies had freedom, liberty, religion, and diversity. Freedom from the strict rule of Great Britain; having the ocean in between them made it hard for Great Britain to keep close control of the colonies. This allowed the colonies the liberty to rule themselves and practice their religions. People who lived in the colonies were not all English; they were French, Jewish, German, Swedish, Dutch, and Scots-Irish. Others were a mixture of many different ethnic groups. This group of people could not be found anywhere else in the world at this time. This helped create a separate identity from Britain.

Like many White Americans, I do not have a strong sense of ethnic or cultural heritage. “White” has come to denote the majority, boring, bland culture. What is white culture? Put simply, it does not exist. Culture, defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, is: “The beliefs, customs, arts, etc. of a particular society, group, place, or time”. The US has a multitude of cultures, influenced by race, ethnicity, heritage, and region. Because of this, “white” culture does not exist, as race is not the sole determination of culture, and because there is such a mixture and distribution of white people in the US. Thus, it is necessary to go beyond “white” culture to find an identity, one that clearly defines