Becoming An American

What is an American? Someone who resides in the United States and has gained citizenship? No, the real qualities that make a person an American are more complex. It's widely known that there are many cliches about Americans, such as we are just fat, lazy, ignorant people. Many cliches and rumors have been created about Americans, and while some of them may be accurate, those are the not the qualities that truly define Americans. Other people make fun of Americans, but deep down they know the conflicts and trials Americans have gone through to achieve what they want. For a country with such a young age, we have accomplished many things and have endured through

Self improvement is defined as the improvement of one’s knowledge, status or character by one’s own efforts. Society has shown us the many different ways people improve their lives today. Any change, no matter how small can become a major factor in someones current or future life. Lets take Immigrants as an example of self improvement. People immigrate to the U.S in search for a better life and the pursuit of happiness. Once they have established themselves in this country of opportunity, immigrants are able to lay a strong foundation for their children and any other decedents in their generation. Being a first generation American child puts a lot responsibilities and expectations to deliver in a person. Relationships in first generation families often deteriorate because they are faced with a conflict between living up to standards, or living a double standard.

Imagine needing to move to a new country because of violence, limited job opportunities, or an oppressive government. Now imagine finding out it may take up to 20 years to get out of that dangerous environment. This is the reality millions of immigrants trying to come to America face every day. In order to become a US citizen, one must first possess a Green Card for at least 5 years, be at least 18 years of age at the time of filing for citizenship, be able to read, write, and speak basic English, submit an N-400 form, take the US Naturalization Test, and have a personal interview to determine if said immigrant is a person of good moral character. This process takes at least 5 years, and that’s if said immigrant does not run into any troubles with filing. Because of this lengthy process, millions of immigrants, many with

I am who I am today because of my parents, first my dad worked so hard in order to be able to pay to get our papers and be able to legally come into the country. The immigration process took more than 10 years. We were only able to see my dad once a year because he was here working and saving up to bring the family together. In July of 1998 just 3 months before I was born my sister Elena passed away before being able to come into the country, she waited for so long to reunite with my dad and it didn't happen she left before her dream came into reality. When my family was finally able to reunite we made the most of it we enjoyed every second with each other. When I entered school I was known for the Mexican girl who didn't know English however

It was the 11th, the day that we arrived. My dad and my sister had already made it, and it was really late. My flight landed, and so had 16 others. We off of the flight, and headed straight for immigration. Last time we came, immigration took 5 minutes, but this time, it took 45! After the long immigration process, we went to the baggage belt, where we couldn’t find our bags. While we were walking to go and file a complaint, we found one of our bags off of the baggage belt. Others took our bags off of the belt, so we went around the belt to find the bags. After we found the bags, we headed out of the airport. It was 4 am, and as soon as we got home, we went to sleep. We got up at about nine and got ready to go to my aunt and uncle’s 25th anniversary

What does it mean to be an American? If you believe in the fundamentals that this country was founded upon, I think you’re an American. There are many people living in this country who consider themselves American, but their neighbor who has a different skin color or accent is not. These Americans in my opinion are not true Americans. As I said, I think you have to believe in the fundamentals.

Being an American means to me that I have freedom and I can do whatever I want. I’m an American, my parents are Americans, everyone’s an American. I talked to my parents about their view on what it means to be an American, and they said that being an American means we have rights available to us like nowhere else in the world does.The United States of America is a free country that citizens here have freedom, but in other countries there is less freedom. Freedom overall is a term that every citizen tries to define but no citizen has really defined it yet. Everyone here in the US has their choice on what they want to choose or do like religion or what schools to go to and we have the freedom to have an education, but in some places or countries

To be an American is to be loyal to your country. No matter the color nor race, if you were born in a different country and become documented then you are in American. People want to discriminating different people but yet they are as Americans as everyone else. Americans are people live in the United States of America. Americans have the American dream to become better in their life. To be American is a free and respectful to everyone in our country. To respect all the different cultures because in many different kinds in America. Americans also pledge to our country's

In this country we live in a republic, with that comes the responsibility of civic duty. Fulfilling your civic duty means doing things like registering to vote, registering for the draft and being a productive and responsible citizen. Fulfilling your civic duty is the responsibility of all citizens.

My great great grandpa named Charles J Odstrcil was born in May 14,1883 in Czechoslovakia, he arrived in the the United States in 1908 in 1909 he arrived in North Dakota in 1909.He got married to Cecilia S Urban on May 20,1919 in Roseau County Minnesota.On March 29,1915 their daughter Gertrude Marie Odstrcil born in Minnesota. Their second child Charles George Odstrcil was born February 19,1920 in Roosevelt, MN. Their third child Mildred Odstrcil was born December 9,1921 in Minnesota. Their fourth child Olive Susan Odstrcil was born March20,1924 in Noyes, Lake Of The

As my family and I were driving in the car, I saw a sign that said something about being an American. I thought to myself, isn’t everyone an American that lives in America?

I have traveled from Australia to Europe and seen many sights of which are indescribable and unknown in the United States but they haven’t been able to capture the unique beauty of my backyard. It started as a blank canvas that my dad could shape any way he pleased. A palm tree, a pool, a small garden, and a “Man Cave”, as my mom called the covered patio, that had a TV and a fireplace. After its creation had taken place, my dad and I grew fond of the relaxing setting and its pure elements.

St. Joachim school is a school I have grown up at. Making so many memories and inside jokes, I will definitely miss this place.. Introducing myself, I am joshua landeros. I have been stuck here… actually i have been attending this school for eleven years now, and being here has changed me in incomparable ways. St. Joachim school is a school i am so dearly gratified with. Being able to attend this school has let me learn many life qualities.

In general Mexicans take a much lower wage than native and foreign born. The average household income for Mexicans was $37,390, whereas it was $49,487 for foreign born, and $54,565 for native. In terms of poverty, Mexicans were most likely to be in it, with 28% of the population being in relative and absolute poverty. This is 10% more than the other foreign born, and 18% more than the native. This shows the attraction that employers really have towards foreign born people. Mexicans are willing to take a considerably lower wage and this cuts down firm’s costs. JSTOR

Being born in New York, one of the busiest cities in the country, has reflected my personal life. Back in kindergarten, I struggled with writing and speaking English. As a result, I was sent to ESL (English as a Second Language). Although I was born in America, my parents, however, were born in Korea. Having a proper conversation in English was difficult for them. This is why they mostly spoke Korean to me as a child. I struggled through classes like English and ended up staying in ESL until the end of 4th grade. I had to overcome the difficulties but along the way I found some interests. New York, has some of the most known tourist attractions that every foreigner visits. Tourist attractions are mostly known for pictures to be taken of. Even