Are You A Bona Fide American?

Simply living in America doesn't define you as an American. Being able to proudly own that you're an american, giving up things to better the country, working overtime, helping those who are homeless, picking up the litter, loving your country for what it is. If you don't contribute, if you can't own it, and if you can't stand up for it, you're not an american. Being American is being free, having the right to believe in what you want, being able to not only have a dream, but make that dream come true.

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.

The dream of becoming an American has been sought out by people from all regions around the world for over 200 years. Its enticing promise of freedom and equality to all citizens has contrived the American dream, which inspires images of homes, well-fed children, employment, and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, these aspirations are not always realized, because citizens do not live accordingly to obtain these promises. To be able to enjoy these things for themselves and extend this dream to the lives of others, they must see past being merely a citizen and strive to become a true American. I feel that three standards capable of defining a true American are: genuine patriotism, belief in equality, and the satisfaction of self-improvement.

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

Being an American to me means to be free and to have vast indepence. But what being an American means to my whole generation could be the total opposite. Because some may be recent immigrants and have restricted freedoms. Others may have a family member who is trying to immigrate, or know one who has emigrated. The main reasons people emigrate to a new country are to get a better job, practice the religion they have always wanted without restrictions. Most of all just to be free and have a better life for their family.

What does it mean to be an American? Being an American means a multitude of different things. It depends on who the person is and what is the most important to them. It may be that they are free, or that they are proud, or simply because they appreciate the country’s history. This country has so many privileges that other countries do not have, and this sets it aside from them.

To be an American can mean a lot of things to others, but one thing everyone has in common on what they think it means is to be free. It means you can vote for who and what you want. It means you can say “The Pledge of Allegiance.” It means you can have a good education and the job you want. It means to be proud in living in the United States of America. Being an American is having freedom and being able to do things with that freedom. It’s about having freedom of religion, rights, and justice. It also means having equality. To be an American means you have the right and freedom to do what you want. It means having the freedom of speech. It means you can be yourself. To be an American mainly means having freedom.

America, the place where hopes and dreams come true, where people come to look for better opportunity is welcome to people from every nation out there. America doesn’t just have one nationality, it is full of immigrants, who come for a better life. The phrases ‘I’m an American’ is a part of our everyday vocabulary, but what does it mean? To be an American means to be yourself and have pride in what you do. Every American has a special skill to contribute to make America what it is today. That’s what makes America unique compared to other countries in the world.

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

What does it mean to be an American? For all of us, I am sure that list will vary from person to person, and, from culture to culture. The one thing I am sure we can all agree on, is our freedom. The framers of our country knew the importance of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, and so they came up with a set of principles/laws for each state to follow. Knowing exactly what they didn't want from the examples of England and King George III, in 1789 our framers came up with a 4,400 word document that would establish and define citizens’ and states’ rights in relation to the government. Unfortunately, being as though our Constitution is 225 years old, and was written by a bunch of white men, most of whom were slave owners our

What is being an American? Being an American is a privilege that some people take for granted. Being an American means being loyal, free, complex, open-minded, and diverse. All five of these things help make America what it is today.

According to The Bureau of International Information Programs of the US Department of State, "Becoming American: Beyond the Melting Pot" they stated that, "The United States has been ‘a permanently unfinished country' because it has been continuously built and rebuilt by immigration" (5). So what does it mean to be "American" in a country as diverse as the United States? In Immigration Issues: Major Issues in American history, Henry Bischoff stated, "The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else" (201). This acknowledges the fact that in order for immigrants to be given the favorable circumstances of being accepted into the American mainstream, it is required for them to lose their identity and adapt into

Although new generations of men and women born in the United States consider themselves members of a new culture —the American culture— they also acknowledge a bond, even if slight, to the country or countries of their ancestors. Most importantly, nevertheless, is that quite often some consider themselves entitled to the good and bad of their country of birth, with exclusion of the newcomers, of course. Quite often, these exclusionists are not willing to mutual

Are you a true American? Well if you think you are, think again? All of us have been melted down from our past generations. We’ve melted down to a new race of people. This race is called the Americans. There are also more things you need to do and have to be a true American. Another one is that you would have to have the American dream. This would let you have goals and you can accomplish things you never dreamed of. Lastly you would need to know the language which is obviously English. Before anything else you would need to have these things. These things can bring you many advantages through your life. The only bad thing is that it will not only give you that but also some disadvantages. Even though some things can be useful they can also be used for the opposite thing.

The basic argument is expressed by the "AICF Fact Sheet on Immigration" is that "assimilation is not working well." This statement reveals the underlying assumption of the writer that American culture is a given to which the immigrants do not add. Rather, American culture is something the immigrants enter and are absorbed in, becoming identical to it. It is something that the immigrants potentially aspire to--for what else could have possible persuaded him/her to become an immigrant in the first place?