American Traditions And Qualities Of The United States Essay

In today’s world, many people consider our country, The United States of America, to be outstanding and a great country. Others do not think the same. This concept is known as American exceptionalism. This concept has been debated for many years, and to this day it still is. Although American exceptionalism can be hard to define, there are many ways to define it. Some say that we are exceptional because we are superior to everybody else and are better. Others say that God has given us the power to help us succeed. There are many different ways to view it or to understand why we are an exceptional country. Exceptional means that something stands out or is great, and adding American in front of it means that our country is exceptional in one form or another. No matter how one views it, everyone has a standpoint on the concept. Liberals like to think that we are ordinary and because of this, they do not like to believe in the exceptionalism and are “antiexceptionalists.” Conservatives on the other hand, like to think that we are special and unique compared to other countries. Therefore, they believe that we are an exceptional country. The United States of America is different than any other country in the world and that is what helps make us exceptional. From our freedom, to the beautiful country that we live in. Our nation is not only smart and strong, but it is diverse and unique.

This was a bit interesting, because I am from another country and I have been in America for about eight years now. I still do identify with my Ukrainian culture and those roots very much, but I have been in America for long enough to adapt this new culture as well. This assignment really had me thinking about where I identify more, I really never thought about it much before. In my mind I am Ukrainian and I live in America and I am a citizen of U.S., but I feel like I am an American as well. As I think about it more this is how I identify with each culture. I think of myself as a Ukrainian and my roots are from where I was born and lived till I was fourteen. My mind was molded by my Ukrainian family, the way I act, the way I am as an individual is because of how and where I was raised. I still notice myself doing things that I did when I was in Ukraine, or thinking a certain way, as I did when I was in Ukraine. Things that my parents taught me, are still things I do sometimes, my thought process is still centered around those teachings. Mentally I identify with my Ukrainian roots, but the way I live my life now is much Americanized. I do also identify with American culture and I would not change one thing about it. But as a teacher in the future, I know that I will have to explore my American culture and use it in the class more, because a lot of my students will identify with the American culture. I think it is very important to really think about the culture you are in

The physical side is at one time they did love each other because kids were born. The shared activities are the fact they have children and they still do things as a family.

What it means to be American? Everybody you ask this question to will have a completely different response. Some responses might have similarities but none will be exactly the same. In the beginning of the year my response was “To be an American means having a rich history, having opportunities to better ourselves, and having freedoms.” Unfortunately not everyone has had the same opportunities or freedoms. Native Americans, who are indigenous, dealt with having their freedoms taken away, less opportunities even though they had rich history in this land before it was taken away from them. Look at what Zitkala-Sa endured. Not only that, but African Americans have fought long and hard for freedom and equality as well. W.E.B. Du Bois stood for

Defining what really is to be an American does not sound as easy as it seem. It will always be complex process. As immigration continues to fuel the growth of the population of our nation, racial and ethnic gap increase and evolve along with it. Racial and ethnic identities become more and more convoluted and difficult to understand. Race and ethnicity continue to intermingle and push a cultural shift in the US– a shift that plays a significant role in redefining America in a day-to-day basis.

How does our generation define what it means to be “American”? Being in America gives us the freedom to become who we want to be and, to do what we want to do. We are using technology to get places or to make a point. We want to support things we don’t know anything about. For example, Black Lives Matter. I’m not saying I know everything about it but I know enough. So one day as I was scrolling through Facebook I came across a post. The post was about a 9/11 “Never Forget” picture. A teen one or two older than me had said something along the lines of “When is our never forget day?” along with the hashtag “#Blacklivesmatter”. I got pretty upset by that. Not to mention it was said on 9/11. I was thinking about how they have a whole month to

A question most fascinating to me is where in history does the first hint of American ideals and identities originate from? If we were to look at where the fiery passions of an American identity first arise we have to look to where the colonists first fought for their right to be a recognized citizen of America. American colonists formed their identity through the ideas of liberty, resistance to unfair British jurisdiction, and cultural diversity. Their identities formed between the Seven Years War and the American Revolutionary War as these two events deeply brought out what the colonist’s ideals were and what they fought for so passionately. Between these years 1763 and 1775 we see the first American ideals being born in the colonies. An example of such ideals is the want and need for Liberty. A reason for wanting liberty was that British control suppressed the lives of the people living in America and over time grew harder for colonists to live with. Americans are revered to have a passionate patriotic view of their country and this is true as it is seen throughout history but in my research I will try to explain where these ideals first arose.

Americans have not only defined themselves by their religious, ethnic and racial identity, but also by their individual freedom and common values. America has become a nation where its people can fight for what they believe in. Our founding fathers have formed America to be “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. Being apart of the American culture and living on the land founded by our leaders specifies the meaning of the American Identity.

The Extent of American Unity and Identity Since early colonization the English colonies had always felt closer to England than to each other. In fact, it took a British newspaper less time to reach Savannah than a letter from Massachusetts. However, after the French and Indian War a sense of unity began to permeate through the colonies as a result of British acts. For every British action there was an American reaction, which fed the spirit of a new identity as Americans, not English colonists. The American identity was being established in the years before the revolution, but it was not the majority as some colonists stayed loyal to the King.

Being American is more than just living between the blurred lines of red, white, and blue but defining how civility, humility, and inclusion helps mesh what is great about the United States of America. We take our liberties to be infinite and without protest when opposition does not infringe upon one's livelihood, but shroud those protections when a sector of the population brings light to injustice. Running to our comfort zones when the judgement is a burden or too difficult will never facilitate change, but will just harbor the resentment of the marginalized while muffling their cries. Can we really accept the love of our country if we refuse to understand one another's differences?

In the contemporary world, different people from various nations hold varying ideas about the United States of America. The American citizens view their nation as an exceptional country while the rest of the world consider America a unique society, standing out on its own from other great nations. There are several factors, great people, numerous outstanding laws and exceptional culture that make America unique among nations. Apparently, persons of political class boundlessly speak of active of their nation to attract and win the masses. However, the American exceptionality is beyond the political standard, as it traces back to the US history, and plenty of tangible evidence to support the claims.

I am proud to live in America because I can live my life the way I want. I can be who I want without anyone else telling me I cant. Just because of my race and gender, I don’t have to do this or do that just because that’s what I am supposed to.

Growing up, I always questioned my parents’ ideals and customs because I viewed myself as only an American. My first language was English and the only memories I had were of New York City. This idea of being “American” followed me throughout my adolescent years as I started to resent my Korean background. Why do I have to add honorifics when I’m talking to someone barely older than me? Why am I bowing to this person?

During the early 1900’s, The United States government was ruled by white men that have captivated the American patriotism. The patriotism of the American society was greatly enchanted by the white superiors wanting to establish a strong American values and culture. The era of the time gave little hopes and dreams of living in a land that its purpose was to give the opportunities to all newcomers. However it was a different scenario among the Mexican American community. The Mexican communities within the United States are force to adapt to a new tradition due to the defeat of Mexican-American War. The Mexican government efforts to persuade its people to leave the United States were no effect because of their disloyalties to its government. From here on the Mexican-American community in the United States will decide its own self recognition of identity.

The United States of America being the third largest country in the world with more than 315 million inhabitants, consists of multicultural societies with ethnically diverse population. Since there are a lot of foreigners, the US culture has evolved in such a way accepting and tolerating other foreign cultures. US is very much influenced by protestant work ethics according to which people believe in themselves and their efforts to attain the goal of self-actualization and success. The rich diversity in the culture brought by foreigners, prevailing values of protestant ethics, hard work etc. have helped US to emerge as a superpower in the past years. Nearly every religion had its impact on US culture in one way or the other. The