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 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
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.
Being an American means to have opportunities that are available to us that others don’t get in other parts of the world. The United States of America is a country that is based on being a free country for citizens to have more freedom than anywhere else. It is one of the only countries that give rights to people of different diversities and genders. To be an American means to have opportunities, rights, and freedom.
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
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.
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.
To be an American means to be a free individual in this country. We have the rights from the 12 amendments of the Bill of the Rights. The most important one for our use is the one stating, “the rights of freedom, speech, religion, press petition, and assembly.” It’s fair for all citizens of the United States. As we age, we’ll experience this in various opportunities. For example, depending on our education to pick the job of our choice. We are able to pledge to our country, the Pledge of Allegiance. As a society, we can vote party we agree with in office. One has the freedom of speech to state what’s on their mind in any situation. This truly is a great place to live in for our individualities. American’s have an enormous amount of freedom. From when we are born here, we can claim our rights for our declared reasons.
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.
“America is another name for opportunity. Our whole history appears like a last effort of divine providence on behalf of the human race.” This statement made by Ralph Waldo Emmerson signifies many peoples’ views of what it has meant to be an “American” for the past few hundred years. Still, the world continues to evolve around us, and times continue to change. With these changing times, how one defines what it means to be an American has also evolved. It is no secret that today especially, in our country, times are in turmoil and our country is divided. With this division come differences in how we view each other and ourselves as Americans and what things should look like in our country. Aside from our own views, comes the views of the outside world and their ever-changing views of America, and the citizens living in the country. These things combined work together to help answer the question, “what does it mean to be an American?”
To me, to be an American means that I am free. When you ask a person what their definition is of what it means to be “an American” you will get many different answers. You can speak your mind, even if others disagree. America is the land of the free and the home of the brave.