My Responsibility As An American Essay

What it means to be an American has nothing to do with race, gender, size, origin, etc. Being an American solely relies on how far we have came as a country to call the United States of America a home, how we have fought through blood, sweat, and tears; depressions, wars, and movements for rights. Being an American means there is freedom of religion so you have the right to believe in whatever suits you. Americans work with the opportunities given to us to not only better, as well as protect our homeland and retrieve knowledge to better our future, but Americans give up their own lives to help do the same thing for other countries as well.

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.

Am I black? Am I not? Am I Eritrean? Or am I an American? What am I? Who am I? Who is Abebba Araya? I constantly asked myself these questions. Why is it to certain people that I am black, yet to some I am not? My entire existence in this world has been very ironic. However, I now know who I am as a person; I am a second-generation American of Eritrean descent. I am both an American and Eritrean, yet I am not black. An emphasis on the and, which I realized exists between these two cultures and incorporating both of them into my lifestyle.

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.

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 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

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.

Do you consider yourself to be an American? Being an American is not just having a citizenship or living in America it is much more. America doesn’t just allow the people inside the country to stay, but America gives everyone a second chance at life and give them more opportunities. America has had a long strive for freedom and independence, making the opportunity of living here that much more special. In this essay I will be reading to you my thoughts of what it means to be an American. Bravery, honor, hope, and the freedom and equality of all Americans are the topics that I feel are most important.

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.

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

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.

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.

America. The land of the free and the home of the brave. This sentence from the national anthem describes what it means to be an American perfectly. Americans are on a land of freedom that is fought for by bravery. They should show it in how they act every day.

Wealth. Freedom. Equality. The pursuit of happiness and opportunity. From John Winthrop’s “The City Upon A Hill” to Thomas Jefferson’s “The Declaration of Independence”, the term America has been universally defined by these ideals. As a citizen living within this country, I have grown up being taught that upholding these values defines being an American. While this was a generic and naive response to what it means to be American, I simply accepted this because it was what others told me. Looking back, I realize that I blindly accepted this definition because of a false and hopeful view of humanity in general. I did not see the world for what it is, rather, I saw it as filled with blissfully optimistic hope, I idealized the world, dreaming that America and, by extension, Americans were shining beacons of freedom, equality, and opportunity in the world, cultivating my previous

Do you know what it means to be an American? The dictionary definition is relating to or characteristics of the United States. To be honest American can mean anything. What i mean American means is to be honest, loyal, and to be an American citizens, born in the United States. Just be loyal to what you do for your country. You can be anything you want just do it for your country and for yourself, and if you aren't born in the united states then find a way to earn your label of American.