Analysis Of The Book ' The Letters From An American Farmers '

An American can be defined by a variety of things. A natural born citizen is just as American as an immigrant searching for a new life, just like in “America and I” by Aniza Yezierska. An American can be a rich businessman or it could be a dedicated soldier like in “Veteran’s Day: Never Forget Their Duty” by John McCain. An individual’s definition of being an American is shaped by their life experiences. A person’s view on being an American is different because of experiences, such as being a veteran, being an immigrant, or living in poverty, all of which affect one’s perspective.

Michael Walzer’s essay on “What Does It Mean to Be an American?” raises many points about the American citizen. Specifically, he discusses “American” as an adjective (Walzer). “American” is often associated with American citizens; while this is true, the term can also be applied to Canadians and Mexicans (Walzer). American is such an ambiguous adjective that it is applicable to all countries and individuals that are part of the North American continent. Like Mr. Walzer states, American is not a truly defined term and America is not a country (Walzer). Walzer goes on to introduce a Horace Kallen’s opinion on American’s as anonymous and their “unique” pluralism (Walzer). There are exceptions to all things; the positive to being an American is the fact that Americans can be whatever they choose to be. I feel to be an American one must believe in the American ideals, they must believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. American 's in general may be anonymous, however, upon further reflection they have left the definition of “American” open for each American to define the adjective for themselves.

The period between 1870 and 1900 was a time to change politics. The country was for once free from war and was united as one nation. However, as these decades passed by, the American farmer found it harder to live comfortably. Crops such as cotton and wheat, once the cash crop of agriculture, were selling at prices so low that it was nearly impossible for farmers to make a profit. Improvements in transportation allowed larger competitors to sell more easily and more cheaply, making it harder for American yeoman farmers to sell their crops. Finally, years of drought in the Midwest and the fall of business in the 1890s devastated the farming community. Most notably, the Populist Party arose to fight what farmers saw as the issues affecting

The American is a new man who is neither a European, nor his direct descendant. He is a strange mix of blood which cannot be found in any other country. The American is described as a person whose grandfather was an Englishman, his mother was Dutch and who has married a Frenchwoman. The American is a person who has left behind all his ancient manners and prejudices, and has received new ones from the mode of life he has embraced, the rank he holds and the government he obeys. A person becomes an American after being received in the broad lap of the great Alma Mater, and he becomes melted down into the new race of men whose posterity and efforts could transform the world in the days to come.

American Literature, especially of the early settler and colonial period is marked by a deep sense of religion and a stress upon writing about matters related to religion. The development of early American literature thus can be seen to be a reflection of the religious ideals followed by the early settlers and colonists and it became a means of promoting a moral and ethical way of life.

America — a land known for its ideals of freedom and new opportunities, a nation built under the idea that every man and women is created equal. However, the definition of what makes a person an American is entirely different from what it is that makes up America, itself. J.Hector St. John Crevecoeur, author of Letters from an American Farmer (1782), exposes what he believes makes an American. However, when compared to the standards of what makes an American in today’s world, it seems that becoming an American then was much simpler then, than it is today. The definition of an American is always evolving due to the influences of our changing nation. During a simpler time, Crevecoeur defined an American as someone of European

In Crevecoeur’s Letters from an American Farmer, he argues that a man’s relationship with the land defines his masculinity. His language and tone towards the animals portrays the argument that the land was created for human’s benefit, and they have the right to intervene when needed. However, Crevecoeur’s use of intellectual vocabulary diminishes the persuasion of that argument because it creates a discrepancy between his character, farmer James, and Crevecoeur himself. These letters were made for the intent of advocating for a masculine, patriarchal view of the land around us. With all of these elements added together, despite the usage of vocabulary, Crevecoeur makes a compelling argument.

Farmers did well after the Civil War and into the 1880s with plentiful rainfall and easy credit from banks. In the 1890s, however, American farmers suffered from drought, poor harvests, restrictive tariff and fiscal policies, low commodity prices, and competition from abroad. A downward swing in the business cycle exacerbated their plight, and many farmers in the Plains filed for

For J. Hector St. John De Crèvecoeur and Phillis Wheatley the seduction of freedom was strong enough to have a hold over them throughout their lives. They express obtaining or wanting independence through writing about certain myths of American culture and identity. This idea of unfiltered, unbiased liberty saturates images of America. Even before it officially became a gaggle of nations, North America was known as a wide-open space full of possibilities. Crèvecoeur and Wheatley want the opportunity of self-determination, but it comes easier for one and with more complications for the other. Wheatley has the added disadvantage of her race and gender, while Crèvecoeur comes to these lands with all possibilities open and within reach. These outstanding factors affect the way these two write about American identity. Crèvecoeur’s Letters of An American Farmer: What is an American and various poems by Wheatley comment on the experience of being an American and share a critique on oppression, but there is a dichotomy in their specific views of the American Dream and the Self-Made Man due to their different positions in society.

What does it mean to be an American? In today's day and age, the general perception of an American is to be free, free to practice any religion, free to speak your mind, free in general. However, America has only been able to be perceived as a promised land due to the obstacles and barriers that have been challenged by early Americans. From having to accept others religious beliefs to the abolishment of slavery. A good example is J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur’s Letters from an American Farmer (1782). Letters from an American Farmer is a collection of twelve letters written from the perspective of a fictional character. These letters do a magnificent job at emphasizing on how America is similar to the environment and the people who feed

The Farmers from the East were the pioneer settlers in Michigan in the Antebellum Era. They came mainly from New England and New York. They emigrated to Michigan because of the opportunity to purchase land and farm. These pioneers would look into not only the value of the land but what the surroundings offered as well. They wanted to make sure that there were close relations available to receive any necessary supplies and for the sale of their crops. Settlers would either construct a make shift shack to stay in or stay with neighboring folks, until they built their log cabins.

The definition of what America is, and furthermore what an American is, has been eternally elusive. However, it can be reasonably said that the vision of America rests upon freedom of expression, the right to property, and self-determination. These ideas are explored in one European’s examination of American agricultural society in the late 18th century. Letters from an American Farmer by J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur illustrates the gilded nature of the early vision of America; one that appears to be simplistic and based in freedom, but lies on a foundation of oppression and greed.

One of the most notable qualities of Americans is the intense ties to family and patriotic duty. These two traits define one of America’s leading families, the Adams. Abigail Adams rears her children strongly in patriotism and wishes for them to pursue their passions. In a letter to her son, John Quincy Adams, she attempts to persuade him to accompany his father, John Adams, to France to become more cultured and independent. The support from his family sets Adams on the path to later becoming a successful president. Strength being based in one’s family and country extends beyond politics to include ordinary people as well. In the short story, “Christmas Eve in Civil War Times”, a family struggles to get through the holidays while their loved ones are away in the Union army (Roe). The literature confronts the conflict of being unconditionally loyal to country and family. This issue of where loyalties lie is a consistent theme in historical literature, but lacks a well-deserved recognition today. A shared aspect of patriotism and family in earlier times is the importance of religion. Christian duty becomes justification for numerous political actions. Samuel Adams writes in his poem, “The Divine Source of Liberty” that God creates liberty for men, therefore, they must acknowledge it. The superficial themes of appreciating nature take on a more rebellious appearance after noticing that the poem is written during the beginning of the American Revolution, the “nation’s true test” (11). The war effort for the revolution increases once the fight becomes righteous and holy. This justification angers preachers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson who is vehemently outspoken against the Mexican American War (Derleth, 96). Emerson acts as a face for a community of reformers who define social changes of the late nineteenth century. Different groups throughout American history have fought for their personal liberty; even the founding fathers could not disagree if they wanted to dissolve alliances with England or not (1776). Early Americans all have their own definition of freedom and while some aspects like religious justification and political reformation has carried over into contemporary times, other important qualities such as

When a judge expressed disbelief in the use of collaborative law, David Hoffman nearly told the story of the Maine farmer, this being when asked if the farmer believed in infant baptism, he replied: “Believe in it?, Hell I’ve seen it done!”

So from my understanding on “What is an American” by Crevecoeur it’s about someone who has high pride for his or her country. Crevecoeur showed us that every American and every religion are equal and free. Crevecoeur shows us in “What is an American” still stands true today that anyone can be an American if he or she is proud their country, has a volunteering heart and acts on new principles. “Self-Reliance” by Emerson is about the natural instinct of American how they are more self-conscious about their life. If you avoid conformity and false consistency, let the important things in life influence your mind, and allowing the past to influence your future you’ll get through life from my understanding after reading this story. In addition, that