An Analysis Of Donald Trump's Campaign Slogan 'Make America Great Again'

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.

Politicians have used fear during a time full of a sense of disorder in order to gain popularity. The reaction to fear is universal and everyone is susceptible to it, forcing them to seek refuge/comfort. Political candidates then take advantage and paint themselves as a form of refuge. This makes fear a favorable strategy for politicians to gain popularity votes. Fear has the power to persuade voters more than any other strategies as seen in modern day politics and in 1964.

America: “The land of the free, and the home of the brave” (Key 7-8). When our forefathers overcame the colonial reign of the British Empire, they formed the United States of America based on the premise of enlightened ideals promoting life, ownership of land, and liberty. But after the revolution, the country’s problems were far from solved. The country’s post-revolution issues sparked a Civil War, which was followed by a reconstruction. In some ways, the Civil War and Reconstruction helped the United States accomplish its original goals, but in many ways, that was not the case.

Over the course of the first century and a quarter of the history of the United States of America, what it means to be an American has been defined by a number of different documents. The authors of those documents have come from varied backgrounds all searching to find their place in the growth and development of this country. At the beginning of the nation, those authors came from the English tradition of what government should look like and what those who were looking to change that government should do. When the country experienced some early growing pains, many of those same people came together again to try and develop a new system of laws for the country. As the nation grew up, it also grew apart and faced arguably the most

Although the United States was built on the idea of freedom for all, it’s clear, looking back at the treatment of certain groups of people, that “all” didn’t really include everyone. This is evident from the moment we landed in the New World and ravaged Native American’s and took their land, forcing them from their homes. And, even more so, in the unimaginable treatment of enslaved men, women, and children alike. As Frederick Douglass pointed out in the narrative of his life as a slave: Slavery, though often justified in the name of Christianity, was far from a Christian institution. Moreover, the presence of slavery proved that most of the United States was more so an immoral and unjust nation than anything else.

Studies show that about 69% of highschool studies graduate. Recently Donald Trump, businessman and television personality was elected for president, and his whole slogan was “Make America Great Again” which he put on hats. This slogan has to do with him wanting to increase employment and a big way to do that is by more people getting through school. The message of the political cartoon I chose is that if you are able to get a good enough education you will be able to become successful in life. The cartoon portrays this message through the use of many different rhetorical devices. The first device the cartoonist uses is symbolism. The cartoon uses the hat to symbolize graduation from school. This ties back to the message of if you are able to

From the moment I was born, as any high-middle class white American, I was told America is the melting pot of the world. Being American means you can do anything. One can start from nothing and turn it into a whole different life. In America there are numerous possibilities and it is capable for anyone to better themselves, because America is about inclusion and opportunity. English class this year has totally reversed my perspective on the “issue” of what it means to be American. Through literature such as The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, The Declaration of Independence and Tortilla Curtain I have come to contrasting conclusions on what it means to be American than the typical person. It is a more cynical outlook then I thought I would ever have thought I would have about my country, but nonetheless true. Although Americans put on a veneer of inclusion and total capability, reality portrays the America

In the 1780’s when America was approaching on a new era, Hector St. John de Crevecoeur and Benjamin Franklin believed that America had become the freest and most prosperous nation in the world. They went so far as to say that America had become a country unlike any other. A country that was free from things such as poverty, inequality, and all other forms of oppression, things that European nations lacked. Over the next century (1800-1900) what we saw in America was not symbols of freedom and equality for all, but instead for a select few. Instead we saw great inequality and a lack of freedom in many groups such as African Americans or slaves, women, as well as Mexicans and Native Americans. The members of these groups were met with

America the land of the free wasn’t always free for everyone, it was a place of slavery, racism, sexism and more. Since our beginning we have solved many of these problems, however, they haven’t disappeared completely. While civil liberties issues have been mostly resolved for race and gender, in the U.S there still exists issues with basic liberties in other aspects of life. This is proven through the use of logos and pathos within Susan B Anthony’s speech, “What to the American Slave is Your 4th of July” by Frederick Douglas, and the photograph Susan B Anthony’s grave.

America is one word that brings the hope of freedom to many people around the world. Since the United States’ humble beginnings freedom has remained at the core of its ideologies and philosophies. People of all races, nations, and tongues have found refuge in America. The National Anthem proclaims, “…land of the free, and home of the brave” (Key, 1814). But has America been consistently a land of the free? Unfortunately freedom has not always reigned. There is a constant struggle to overcome fear and prejudice in order to provide a true land of freedom. In times of heightened tension, the masses of common people seek to find a scapegoat. Often, this scapegoat is a minority

President Trump said he would repeal and replace the ACA “Affordable Care Act”. Additionally, President Trump has promised to reduce the $19.5 Trillion (and growing) debt by cutting spending on all non essential government agencies and add-on expenses that were senselessly added over the last administration. He also said he would convince companies to bring factories back to America, in essence “Make America Great Again”. These are just some of the many promises President Trump has made to the American people. But many of his promises will take a while to come in affect as his plan to alter the course of our country unfolds.

Growing up in America, children are taught by their grade school teachers to be proud of being American. They chant “Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492” and harmoniously sing patriotic songs such as The Star Spangled Banner while being utterly oblivious of America’s corrupt political system. It may not be until one is pursing their final years of high school, or perhaps even in college when they are aware of America’s history of possessing a highly restrictive political system. For minorities, America is not the land of the free. It is the land of oppression to progression, yet we still wear our scars and our heads up high. Struggles to expand the breadth of political and civil rights in the United States have been critical to fostering greater inclusion and equality for racial/ethnic minorities in America. Various reforms such as the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Acts were implemented during the civil rights era as they helped promote greater inclusion and equity to, but not limited to, African Americans and Mexican-Americans.

Since the United States of America was officially founded in 1776, American citizens have considered this country a free land that holds its arms invitingly open to everyone. Emma Lazarus depicts this ideal in her poem “The New Colossus” by describing America as a “golden door,” and a sanctuary for the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” However, America’s past has not always represented these ideals. Some historical examples of failure to reach these aspirations include the enslavement of Africans and the holding of Japanese-Americans in prison camps during WWII, which correspond to poems by Langston Hughes and Dwight Okita. After considering both the positive and negative aspects of American history, we can reach the conclusion that America has, the majority of the time,

In the late eighteenth century, Thomas Jefferson penned one of the most well-known documents in the history of the United States, The Declaration of Independence. Officially completed and signed in 1776, this document is one of the foundations that America builds its rich history on today. Jefferson borrowed English political philosopher John Locke’s philosophy when he wrote the line, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Many Americans today still base theories of American Exceptionalism on this idea of liberty and equality for “all men”, but a look back at United States history show that political and social policy hasn’t always reflect this sentiment. The main problem with the statement is the vague phrase “all men”. One needs to be able to define that phrase and the standards of humanity themselves to understand the history and policies of human rights in America. In early America, standards of humanity were based on religious standards adapted from John Locke’s writing molded to fit societal hierarchy by Jefferson and the founding fathers in their vision of the country. African Americans worked hard to fight the hypocrisy of these claims, but it would take more than a century for changes to be made for the good of “all men”. In this paper, I will work to find the

Most Americans place their pride in being apart of a country where a man can start at the bottom and work his way to the top. We also stress the fact that we are “all created equal” with “certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” (Jefferson 45) During the early 1900s white Americans picked and chose who they saw fit to live in America and become an American. “Those that separate the desirable from the undesirable citizen or neighbor are individual rather than race.”