American Lit : Burden Of The United States

When asking a random person what it means to be an American, it is surprising the multitude of different answer you get it. For some people it means being a citizen of the United States of America. Others might say it means being free. Many would not argue that it means relating to America. The different responses are innumerable. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, the word American is a noun and adjective. In each definition, references to the geographical Americas is made. Is there a right or wrong answer to this question? Any person's opinion of America, good or bad, is the answer to what American really means.

The chapter, 1493 in the book “Lies My Teacher Told Me,” by James W. Loewen discusses how Christopher Columbus’s “discovery” of the Americas led to the meeting of new cultures. Columbus was not the first to discover the Americas, but rather he was the first European to. His expedition was fueled by the desire for wealth; he wanted to exploit and conquer. He claimed the riches and land the Native Americans had as his own. His interaction with the natives of the land were abusive for he tortured and enslaved ones who did not perform his labor. Columbus almost caused the extinction of the natives through the Europeans introduction to horrible diseases and mass suicide because of their horrible conditions. In fact, textbooks do not focus on what

According to the Scholastic News Online, when individuals were given the question of what it means to be an American, most of them described it as “being free” and having certain rights while others gave explicit examples and mentioned the fact that we as Americans receive opportunities such as “voting”. I somewhat agree with most of these individuals. I believe that being an American consists of having certain rights and a given amount of freedom, to a certain extent. I also strongly believe that by being American, we are guaranteed opportunity if we work hard for something. Being an American also means we have the power to make a difference and express what we feel in order to make this country better than before. Coming from a family that had a much more distinct experience than

There are a variety of opinions of what the meaning of what it is to be an American. In my opinion I believe that to be an American you have to believe that everyone has the right to liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that everyone is created equally. Also, it means that you are appreciative of the freedoms and opportunities that are presented with. While looking up other people’s opinion on what they believe to be an American means I came across the following quote, “To be an American to me means that I am free. That when I grow up I can pick the job I want, what shift to

To be an American it meant that “You are free, you can say the pledge of allegiance, vote for your president, proud to live in the United States.” Or at least that is the general definition found on google on the website Scholastic.com. However being an American does not ,mean anything in specific. “American” is interpreted in many ways, there is no solid meaning, only various opinions. Many will respond to you that to be an American is to be free, in realization is it really?

Although early explorers and pilgrims made important achievements and discoveries that set the stage for early society, Christopher Columbus spent numerous years conquering new lands by using violence enslavement, and ethnocentric beliefs. The colonial period was built upon by greed, slavery, disease, and the destruction of the indigenous people in the Americas. We, as historians all believe that this claim is important because many people have the wrong impression or belief as to what really happened with Christopher Columbus. This also explains to people how he conquered the Americas and took the Natives land in search for riches and a new world. Christopher Columbus was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but

An American is something you don’t want to take for granted. Waking up in the morning and being able to go and do basically whatever you like is freedom. Freedom comes from the men and women who make the sacrifice to fight for America. All of our ancestors with exception of the native American Indian’s, came here to have a new start as U.S. citizens, and to live in a "free" country. To have pride their country, lives, family values and religion. In God we trust, as is printed on our money. Americans are not better than anyone else, we just strive to be free and

The definition of an American is hard to explain. Some believe it is only about being born in North America, others believe it is about where your ancestors came from. The real definition of an American is someone who is free. Free to choose any occupation they want to do, free to get a good education, and free to speak or act for what they believe in. ‘

What does it mean to be an American? There is no exact definition to what being an American is, that being that the word American comes of different religions, races, viewpoints in political and social life and more. As Americans, we are given priceless rights and freedom, including freedom of speech, protest and even the right to burn a flag. Now there are some who may think of these acts as being un-American, but to others the ability to consider yourself un-American is very American. Being American may also include the idea of pursuing the American Dream. There is no definite definition of what being an American is, but we do get the many different perspectives.

Around the world, people have many preconceptions of what an American is. Some people see it as being able to have a hope or a dream that could only be given in America. Being an American means that one is offered freedom of religion, justice and rights. America offers a lot to people, giving them a chance to find success and happiness.

Being an American cannot simply be defined by skin color, culture, or religion. This nation cannot be defined in a simplistic manner like many other nations. For instance, other countries define themselves by their accent or by the types of food they consume. According to Sarah Song, “To be or to become an American, a person did not have to be any particular national, linguistic, religious, or ethnic background. All he had to do was to commit himself to the political ideology centered on the abstract ideals of liberty, equality, and republicanism” (31). Therefore, being American simply means having the same views about equality, liberty and republicanism as our American ancestors.

What does it mean to be an American? From my point of view, I think being an American isn’t about going to barbecues or going out to a baseball or football game, eating hot dogs and nachos. It isn’t about where you go, it’s the way you experience it with others. Take holidays for instance, do you celebrate holidays just for the sake of doing it? Or do you celebrate holidays to spend time with your loved ones, talking about the last time you all went on a camping trip or actually eating a whole meal together, conversing with each other like a family.

Webster’s definition of the term “American” is “a person born, raised, or living in the U.S.” But there is so much more to being an American than just living in the U.S. Being an American has nothing to do with the color of your skin or what food you eat or how big your house is. Being an American means having pride in your country and having the freedom to live the life you want to.

An American by definition is a native or citizen of the United States. An American is much more than a person who resides in the United States, they are what makes up America. An American is someone who has invested their life helping America grow, they also respect their country for giving them the opportunities that other countries do not offer like freedom and equality.

Although the American image is lost due to different interpretations, to be an American has only one definition. To be an American means to love all people within the one united country. Coming together as one country is what makes the United States the strong country that it is known by today. Americans are people of any race or gender from any background, while loving the country that they reside in. Americans have been known for working hard to obtain what they are given. Americans are known to have trained to get to a certain place in life.