I Am Proud To Be An American Essay

Since the birth of America, our nation has been debated as one of the best countries in the world. From our freedoms to our military strength to our boundless opportunities, America has almost always been a great place to be. Our history shows a few rough patches, but we have gotten through them and become a stronger nation because of it. However, how is a person defined as being an American? How do you know when you are an American? When it comes to being American, there are many ways that a person can define it. How a person knows they are American is totally up to them. Thoughts and feelings as well as legal processes can contribute to the identity of an American, although a few things really define a person as an American. I think that to be an American, one should understand the American tradition, have a sense of patriotism because of our history, and understand that other people and nations do not have the opportunities or abilities that we as Americans have.

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.

The history of the Native Americans began in Siberia. Many scholars hypothesize that the first Americans came from Siberia and traveled into Alaska. The colder climate of the Ice Age made an ice bridge across what is now the Bering Strait. Unfortunately, the bridge started to melt without warning, causing the people in Alaska to become trapped. A group of Native Americans known as today 's’ Navajo and Apache came to the rescue when their construction of boats advanced and allowed them to be durable enough to travel across the strait. These Athabascan-speaking people traveled from Canada and later reached the American southwest.

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.

Defining what really is to be an American does not sound as easy as it seem. It will always be complex process. As immigration continues to fuel the growth of the population of our nation, racial and ethnic gap increase and evolve along with it. Racial and ethnic identities become more and more convoluted and difficult to understand. Race and ethnicity continue to intermingle and push a cultural shift in the US– a shift that plays a significant role in redefining America in a day-to-day basis.

How does our generation define what it means to be “American”? Being in America gives us the freedom to become who we want to be and, to do what we want to do. We are using technology to get places or to make a point. We want to support things we don’t know anything about. For example, Black Lives Matter. I’m not saying I know everything about it but I know enough. So one day as I was scrolling through Facebook I came across a post. The post was about a 9/11 “Never Forget” picture. A teen one or two older than me had said something along the lines of “When is our never forget day?” along with the hashtag “#Blacklivesmatter”. I got pretty upset by that. Not to mention it was said on 9/11. I was thinking about how they have a whole month to

What it means to be American? Everybody you ask this question to will have a completely different response. Some responses might have similarities but none will be exactly the same. In the beginning of the year my response was “To be an American means having a rich history, having opportunities to better ourselves, and having freedoms.” Unfortunately not everyone has had the same opportunities or freedoms. Native Americans, who are indigenous, dealt with having their freedoms taken away, less opportunities even though they had rich history in this land before it was taken away from them. Look at what Zitkala-Sa endured. Not only that, but African Americans have fought long and hard for freedom and equality as well. W.E.B. Du Bois stood for

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 dream about being an American. They dream because they envision America as the land of peace and prosperity. But is it? At times it has been, and at times its not. It is hard for the United States to be correct all the time because they have been unwilling designated as the “World Police”. Throughout history there have been examples politically, economically, and socially, where being an American is rewarding and times where it is embarrassing. To be an American means progress. We evolved from a world ruled by white men to a world of equal opportunity.

The soil of the middle-east stained with the blood of our American soldiers just so we can not take advantage of our right to vote. Though sometimes questionable, America's overall image portrayed to other countries is an honorable one. America is known for its democracy and as well as being a land of opportunities and many freedoms. America's assortment of ethnicities and cultures is proof that our country is a desirable one. Wars are being fought at this very moment to defend these freedoms.

The major consensus is that first Americans came across an ice bridge from Siberia. This is prominent in their facial features that share similarities of the natives of Siberia. The first people could make it as far as Africa until the ice bridge opened up about 14,000 years ago. Prior, the ice sheets stopped any travel. When the sheets did open up, they spread in a time frame of several years, along with their stone work, known as Clovis points. The people, named after these points spread down North America, hunting mammoths and other now extinct

What does being an american mean to me? Being an american means that I have freedom to do things that I want,liberty,and the pursuit of happiness which the military fights for. Another thing I have is rights that means that I have choices to pick things that I want to do in life like pick a job or do whatever because of the military fighting for are country. I also have justice which means that things are fair and you have a fair trial if I go to court and can not just go to jail.

What does it mean to be an American? When this question comes to mind many people will have different points of view. Many people tend to classify being American as living in the country called North America. Some people think that being American means to be a person living in a free country. Others may also think that it means to be a person living in a free country, but not having everything come free to you. It's call liberty, which means not everything comes free, and not everything you want at any moment of the day can be done or can be given to you.

What does it mean to be an American? Being an American means a multitude of different things. This country has so many privileges that other countries do not have, and this sets it aside from them. It depends on who the person is, and what is vital to them. Each and every person is different, and each person has a different story. Individuals have their own meaning of what it is to be an American. It may be that they are free, or that they are proud, or simply because they appreciate the country’s history. Needless to say America represents a substantial amount of concepts that have large meanings.

I have been a part of this great nation for 80 years. From the time I took my first breath as a baby to this exact moment of 1940. Over the years, I have traveled to experience and witness life changing events. Due to my past, I have gained a true sense of what it means to be an American. And believe me, America is something to be proud of.