American in the 90's Essay

With Oklahoma city being bombed, the OJ Simpson trial, and sheep being cloned, the 90’s were an unforgettable time for those who lived to see it. The 90’s were a time of scientific breakthroughs that changed the world, like Dolly the sheep being cloned, and even though most people who lived in the 90’s felt peace, it was also a time of terrorism, and famine in many areas, like Oklahoma City in 1995. Here’s a few moments from the 90’s that helped shape the world

Being an American can mean a number of different things. The most important however, is freedom. As an American citizens, we have freedoms that many others do not. We have the freedom to vote for our president, freedom of speech, religion, and more. Being an American doesn’t just mean you were born in the United States, you can become a citizen by taking a test about our country. Our country is unique because we are made up with people from all around the world. We all have different religions we follow, languages we speak, as well as where we come from. Unlike other countries who might split apart and come up with different names, because of diversity, we embrace our differences.

The 1980’s is one of the most interesting decades that was experienced in the United States. Dealing with the stock market, the coming up of new inventions, all the way to the types of music people listened to. During the 1980s, the only thing that made Americans be “Americans” was because of the things they were provided with. Many Americans had fun throughout the 1980s with materialistic, glamorous, and technological life styles; therefore there were different economical problems that Americans faced.

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.

U.S. foreign policy changed after the Cold War after the U.S. was unsure of what to do with their increased national defense. Many critics questioned the need for heavy defense spending and the large number of U.S. bases. For most of the twentieth century, the Cold War defined U.S. foreign policy as it centered around the idea of containment. After the Soviet Union fell, Americans shifted their focus from containing communism to solving several ethnic, religious, and cultural conflicts, more specifically toward peacekeeping, globalization, and humanitarian ideology. One such result of this foreign policy was direct action in the Gulf War in 1990; the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Operation Desert Storm deployed during the gulf war was viewed widely as a success and helped to reinforce Bush’s ideals about a new world

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

From where did the vigor of the 1980’s come? 1980 to 1989 was a period in the United States which spurred hope for the economy and in the spirits of the people. The 1980’s were a decade of the American people standing together in tragedy and rejoicing with each other in victory. In 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the decade and an age of an oppression overseas. America cheered for the freedom of her brothers and sisters in Germany. One highlight of the 1980’s was the substantial growth of the economy through Reaganomics, President Reagan’s principles of economics. In television, the show Family Ties depicted an average family at the time, who supported each other despite their wide range of beliefs and ideals. Why was this time in America so great? The people of the nation believed in her, and America gave her people reason to believe.

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.

What does it mean to be an American? Can this statement ever really be defined since America is a melting pot of different races, religions, political views, social views and so on and so fourth. To be an American can mean virtually anything and whether or not somebody supports national symbols is just another part of being and American. As Americans we have the right to disagree with the government, the right to protest against something unjust, the right to burn a flag in disgrace because after all we have freedom of speech. To some these things are un-American, but to others they are the reasons America is such a wonderful place to live. There is no definite answer to this question, but many

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?

American identity has been created by many events throughout the course of history. This country was founded on the clashing and mixing of many different cultures and lifestyles. One of the most important periods of time for this country was during the period of conflict between Americans and Native Americans over land rights. Americans had an idea of manifest destiny and that this land was theirs for the taking. The Americans were going to walk through anyone who opposed them in this quest for land. The treatment of the Indians during this time period was harsh, cruel, and violent to say the least. It is in this treatment that Americans came to view the Indians as a ?racialized other? and

The 1990’s were known for a number of encouraging but also undesirable events. Socially, economic expansion and environmental awareness created development within the United States. However, international political unrest lead to extremist demonstrations that had lasting effects. These historical events also resulted in improvements on technology within the decade. Advancements in space exploration and medical technological progress promoted enhancements while educational technology lagged the general population. These and other events would later have historians describing the 1990’s as overall a productive decade.

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.