Essay about The Great Concept Of American Freedom

In the eyes of the early American colonists and the founders of the Constitution, the United States was to represent the ideals of acceptance and tolerance to those of all walks of life. When the immigration rush began in the mid-1800's, America proved to be everything but that. The millions of immigrants would soon realize the meaning of hardship and rejection as newcomers, as they attempted to assimilate into American culture. For countless immigrants, the struggle to arrive in America was rivaled only by the struggle to gain acceptance among the existing American population.

America is the universal symbol of freedom. But is it really free? Does the history of the United States stay true to the ideas of our forefathers? Or has the definition been altered to fit American policies? Has freedom defined America? Or has America defined freedom? I believe America was at first defined by freedom, then after time, America defined freedom, altering the definition to fit the niche it fits in, but still keeping key components so it still seems to be staying true to the ideas of America’s founding fathers.

America — a land known for its ideals of freedom and new opportunities, a nation built under the idea that every man and women is created equal. However, the definition of what makes a person an American is entirely different from what it is that makes up America, itself. J.Hector St. John Crevecoeur, author of Letters from an American Farmer (1782), exposes what he believes makes an American. However, when compared to the standards of what makes an American in today’s world, it seems that becoming an American then was much simpler then, than it is today. The definition of an American is always evolving due to the influences of our changing nation. During a simpler time, Crevecoeur defined an American as someone of European

Throughout history freedom has had many different meanings and definitions; based on race, gender, and ethnicity. According to the dictionary freedom means the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint (“freedom” def. 1). Freedom may seem like something given to everyone however it was something workers had to fight for. Not everyone believed that workers’ rights needed to be changed, which led to a long battle between workers, employers and the government. To the working class people freedom meant making higher wages, having regulated hours, workable conditions and the right to free speech.

America hasn't always lived up to the statements and the ideologies of the Declaration of Independence. People started settling in the colonies in 1607 to start a new life and own land, towns ran themselves without the monarchy of the English,they wanted America to be based of democracy. “Some however,did not come by choice.”(Placecard A)Slavery was a big problem in the United States, African Americans made up a big amount of the population in the United States during the late 18th century and the 19th century. “The Civil war

In 1630, John Winthrop dreamt that America was a “City on the Hill”, predestined for preeminence. In 1776, the American Colonies proclaimed independence with the affirmation that all men are equal, free, and blessed with the sacred rights to life, liberty, and happiness. These uniquely American ideals ideals characterized the young democracy in contrast to the oppressive monarchies of Europe. European citizens saw the correlation between America’s greatness and its democratic principles. The liberties that America furnished to all men, regardless of status, gave citizens pride in their nation and drew envy from constituents of tyrannical monarchies. The notions of equality and freedom, however, did not extend to all of America’s population;

In 1630, John Winthrop dreamt that America was a “City on the Hill”, predestined for preeminence. In 1776, the American Colonies proclaimed independence with the affirmation that all men are equal, free, and blessed with the sacred rights to life, liberty, and happiness. These uniquely American ideals ideals characterized the young democracy in contrast to the oppressive monarchies of Europe. European citizens saw the correlation between America’s greatness and its democratic principles. The liberties that America furnished to all men, regardless of status, gave citizens pride in their nation and drew envy from constituents of tyrannical monarchies. The notions of equality and freedom, however, did not extend to all of America’s population;

Since the creation of the United States, the meaning of freedom has changed to meet changing attitudes. Throughout our nation’s history, there have been significant periods of racial, economic and civil rights inequalities. There are different meanings for freedoms that have been established throughout the historical period of the United States. During this modern era, the US had certain periods of time that lived up to the ideals of freedom such as the Gilded Age. In opposition, the US has also had periods of time where our ideals of freedom failed to meet the requirements of our nation, a prime example being the late 1940s when the US entered the Cold War and led to the anti-communism period of McCarthyism which ultimately restricted

Freedom, it's been ever present since the pilgrims first set foot upon the land soon to be called America. It was the reason for coming over and the reason for fighting against British rule. It is one of the values that stayed with every member of this country to this day. "America will never be happy till she gets clear of foreign dominion." So states Thomas Paine's "From the crisis, No.1." This discusses the wish to free the American colonies from British rule. Most Americans did not believe England had the right to tax and create laws for America when they were an ocean away. They felt it was time to free them entirely from English rule and become an independent country. Freedom was even present before the time of the Revolutionary war. When

Most Americans place their pride in being apart of a country where a man can start at the bottom and work his way to the top. We also stress the fact that we are “all created equal” with “certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” (Jefferson 45) During the early 1900s white Americans picked and chose who they saw fit to live in America and become an American. “Those that separate the desirable from the undesirable citizen or neighbor are individual rather than race.”

America is commonly called the “Land of the Free”, but the abundance of liberties, and liberties for all, has not always been the case. The Puritans were some of the first to settle in the New World, but they were self-interested and did not come with the purpose of creating a free state for all. As time progressed, so did their believes, and by the time Tocqueville arrived from France, liberty was an important aspect of American life. So important that people would fight and die for it. Tocqueville, while impressed at the amount liberty and freedoms that citizens had, believed that America had a long way to go before it could call itself a truly free country. Fast forward over a hundred years later, and John Rawls lived in a time were the

The American Ideological Consensus is that “…the American people have shared much of the same ideals, the same basic principles, and the same patterns of belief” (McClenaghan 104). When America filled itself with ideologically homogenous people, their beliefs started to define our nation and became American identities. If asked what they think of America, peoples of other nations would say that the roads are made of glass, opportunity is in the air, and civil rights are plentiful. These accounts maybe accentuated; however, the underlying message is that the American people have more freedoms then the peoples of other nations do. The most widely known American identity is freedom, and even though that American identity has been tried and

An individual has several kinds of freedom entitled to him or her. There is a variety of freedom entitled to an individual. There could be questions such as – What is Freedom? What does freedom do to us and for us? Which freedom is the most important freedom in an individual’s life? Freedom is a state in an individual’s life in which he or she can enjoy his or her rights to the full extent without being interfered by others. All kinds of freedom are really very important in an individual’s life because, in absence of one kind of freedom, it could diminish all other freedom he or she had. Personal freedom is a kind of freedom that allows an individual to enjoy his or her rights to the full extent. Nepal is a Southeast Asian country, which is extremely rich in culture and tradition. The culture and tradition are considered as a national treasure of the country, therefore the people living in Nepal are always willing to protect and preserve their culture and tradition. Being a patriarchal country, some of the extremely stereotypical cultural and traditional beliefs, which are directly dominating to women, get exaggerated. Even though the stereotypical beliefs are disempowering to women, the people living in Nepal are still following the same stereotypical beliefs, and Nepali women are unable to uplift their personal freedom from being curtailed. In novel Crime and punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky has successfully portrayed the lives of women living in nineteenth century’s Russian

A long time ago the area now known as our home, the United States of America, got discovered. This unearthing of new ground eventually brought about hope for many individuals seeking a new and diverse life. By the mid to late 1800s America attracted many Europeans. These immigrants strived for an opportunity to make a living with great possibilities, and without negative government interference. Anyone would consider it an understatement to claim that America, during this time, contained great hope for the future of its inhabitance. After all, America’s founding purpose comes from one key element in general, freedom.

Freedom does not mean license, but the wisdom to choose what is right for oneself