Examples Of What It Means To Be An American Essay

Since this great country was first established many intuitive minds have tried to answer the question; "What is an American". This country is full of individuals of many backgrounds, and diversities and each person has a different opinion on this question. In my opinion, an American is someone who values freedom and equality and pursues the "American dream." Every American exercises these rights and these are great adjectives to describe our country. Each of the seven readings, and the one image I compiled help mold this broader definition into a more precise description of an American.

In Edward L. Hudgins article, What is an American?, Hudgins defines an American in ways I had not thought of before. Hudgins stated all these ideas about Americans being driven to do their best and meeting challenges head-on. I would like to think that being an American means everything Hudgins stated, however I think Hudgins is giving the optimistic answer of what being an American means. What Hudgins explains as being an American is what I believe most Americans were like when the country was first founded. The idea of taking risks and working until the risks paid off is one that most Americans do not believe because the possibility of actually achieve one’s dream is extremely less likely today than it was when the country was first established.

What does it mean to be an American? In my eyes to be an American means to have privileges, rights, and freedom. America isn't perfect, but it is one of the only countries that have rights given to people of different diversities and gender. America does not have tremendous poverty. Instead we have choices given to us by the people who fought and died for the American people. Without George Washington and the other patriots who planted the first seed in the ground and help plant the American nation we live in now who knows what America would be like now.

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.

What means to be an American? About everywhere in the societies and the people in it have diverse opinions to be an American especially when they are from different country. Being an American means to have a willing to accept others from different culture, freedom to do anything, and to have opportunities in terms of relaxed atmosphere.

With all the controversy in what it means to be American at this point in history, coming to a consensus on the meaning of the term is crucial. The meaning of being an American can often be tied to one’s emotional connection to the United States of America. If this attachment is taken away from the definition of the word, the most authentic and traditional interpretation of what it means to be an American is revealed. To be an American means to be a citizen of the United States and to align yourself with the ideals of America.

Throughout the life span of the United States, from its infancy after the Revolution to the present, people have asked, “What is an American?” This question goes far beyond asking who is a citizen or who resides in this land. No, it asks what the identity of an American is? Through popular, art, film, and literature, the American image is defined as being based on embracing our individual identities.

Many people take advantage of living in the USA, but most all of the time it is those who are born and raised here. The people fleeing their own countries, just to come to America, seem to be the ones who truly appreciate all there is to offer. To learn about America’s history seems as a daunting task to many school aged children. Class gets boring and therefore you stop listening and you never truly understand the meaning behind America and how it came to be. Whereas those hoping to come to America and live the “American Dream” are truly interested in how America came to be. These people come to America to fulfill their dreams of having a better life for themselves and more importantly, their family. America is the savior for many wanting to flee their home country and the bad situation they are in.

What is an American? This question cannot be answered by one word. There are so many different characteristics, qualities, and features that can be used to describe an American. Besides features, someone is only a real American if they take advantage of all of the many privileges that are given to them. Any person that is not grateful for the privileges that are given to them to me are not real Americans but this is only my opinion. Real Americans use their privileges to benefit themselves and everyone around them. In today's society there are certain things that are expected from American citizens, for instance being a responsible citizen.

"The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must entertain new ideas, and form new opinions." An American is someone who has the control to be able to make their own decisions and act upon what they want, and what they believe. The American in my opinion, is someone who has their rights, and follows laws but still has a freedom of choice.

What really is an American? Being an American is not just being born in the USA as most people would think, that is just the technicality of it. For centuries Americans have defined themselves not by their racial, religious, and ethnic identity but by their common values and belief in individual freedom. Not just being able to say “The Pledge of Allegiance” and being able to vote for the president, but being able to be free and to be proud that you live in the United States of America.

Candelario Felix Felix 1 Mrs. Brown English 11 December 2,2015 What It Means To Be An American What does it mean to be an American? Most of the people in America would say Freedom if asked that question. Although that is a big chunk of what it means to be an American there are also of definitions to what it means to be an american. For example for you the meaning of being an american can be freedom but for someone else it can be that everyone is equal and treated the same. Being an American is a privilege some countries don't get the rights that we do and us as americans sometimes don't really consider that.

True Definition (An Analysis of what it Means to be American) Is there truly a meaning to the word “American”? What hidden power resides deep within the word? To find the answers, we must look at the foundations that America was built upon. Simply being American continues the legacy upon which the morals that America was created by. The true definition of what it takes to be American is to continue living the legacies passed down by our founding fathers; and lead the lives of truly great men by ensuring the survival of reinvention, innovation, and leadership.

What does it mean to be American?Well it all depends on who you ask, because everyone has their own opinions. Being an American mean has and had many definitions for many centuries. During WW1 being an American was helping server the war or help the war. In WW2 it was the exact same thing. Women in this age thought being American was having the same rights as men.

What does it mean to be an “American”? To each individual person it means something very different. For the writer Bharati Mukherjee, who wrote the essay, “American Dreamer”, to be a true American someone has to want to be an American, not just prove that they merited citizenship. Her essay “American Dreamer” goes in depth into this idea and her opinion that as an American one should believe in bringing together the cultures in America. “We must think of American culture and nationhood as a constantly reforming, transmogrifying “we” (Mukherjee 438). For the author James Baldwin, who wrote the essay “Stranger in the Village”, an American is a person who is integrated with other cultures, and