What Does It Mean To Be An American Essay

America is commonly characterized as the greatest country in the world, the glorious “land of the free and the home of the brave”, “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. This idealization of the American identity conveniently focuses on what people want to hear and blurs out most everything else. In reality, Americans do not live up to the dreamscape created by our views, and we never really have. America is no longer characterized by its freedom and democracy, nearly every first world country can afford that luxury. Nor are we set apart by the great opportunities given to our people, for those are far from universal. We aren’t equal, we aren’t unified, we aren’t kinder or smarter or richer than any other country across the board. It’s easy to find the shortcomings of American culture, all the things we aren’t, but the things we are have proven to be more elusive. First, let’s examine the nots.

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.

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.

Although the present day American is a totally a different person, at the close of the Revolutionary War the same individual was a European immigrant impacted by the nature of the American continent. In St. Jean de Crevecoeur’s perspective, an American is a race that results from a mixture of Swedes, Dutch, French, Irish, Scotch, and Englishmen (48). This race consists of unique type of people who are not governed by laws as strict as they experienced in Europe. They are a breed of people who had no home and no country in Europe. This paper discusses what the American was thought to be, in view of St. Jean de Crevecoeur’s Letters from an American Farmer.

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

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.

America is an improbable idea, a mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts, itis held together by a notion, the notion that all men are created equal, though everyone knows that most men consider themselves better than someone. "Of all the nations in the world, the United States was built in nobody's image," the historian Daniel Boorst in wrote. That's because it was built of bits and pieces that seem discordant, like the crazy quilts that have been one of its great folk-art forms, velvet and calico and checks and brocades. Out of many, one. That is the ideal.The reality is often quite different, a great national striving consisting frequently of failure. Many of the oft-told stories of the most pluralistic nation on earth are stories

I believe that America should not be involved in any European matters unless the matters cross over in to both states such as trafficking of weapons, drugs, terrorist attack, or even when there is a murder in Europe of a person who was from America. Because that is when not ONE state get involved in another state, but they should working together to solve this problem equally.

What does it mean to be an American? Can this statement ever really be defined since America is a melting pot of different races, religions, political views, social views and so on and so fourth. To be an American can mean virtually anything and whether or not somebody supports national symbols is just another part of being and American. As Americans we have the right to disagree with the government, the right to protest against something unjust, the right to burn a flag in disgrace because after all we have freedom of speech. To some these things are un-American, but to others they are the reasons America is such a wonderful place to live. There is no definite answer to this question, but many

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”. This infamous quote from the declaration of Independence not only personifies the hope and desperation for opportunity so many immigrants long for before coming to America, it also exemplifies the true “American Identity” that is embraced by native born Americans. This promise for a better life that America is dangled in our faces of other countries that bonds the people together stronger than anything that would divide them. The American identity has taken several decades to develop from the influences of old European ties, the meshing of

Many people never question what it means to be an American. I believe that we consist of many great characteristics. However, others may believe that we are quite horrible people. In contrast, an ideal American is very cultural, political, and has quite the love for food.

We, as humans, are meant for “something more than mere survival” (FDR Economic Bill of Rights). We are meant for complex ideas, groundbreaking inventions and technological advances, a sense of community, and a place where freedom and opportunity run rampant throughout the streets. We are meant for the American Dream. I fear, however, that as time has passed, America has lost sight of the true ideals entrenched in the idea of the American Dream. Americans seem to believe that because of their mere presence in America they should be clothed in the finest silk and own a house the size of Texas. We seem to believe that our freedom of speech inherently grants us the right to degrade others. We seem to believe that because we live in America, everything should be handed to us on a silver platter. We, as a nation, seem to have forgotten the men who “[pledged their] Lives, [their] Fortunes, and [their] Sacred Honor” in exchange for this dream, and the responsibility we have, as Americans, to respect and appreciate the opportunities that have been given to us; namely the right to freedom, opportunity, and the pursuit of happiness (Declaration of Independence).

In an ideal world, America is the land of opportunity, promise, and freedom, but in reality, American society is dominated by a materialistic, prejudiced, isolated, and consumerist culture. The atmosphere surrounding the nation promotes a social hierarchy, separates individuals into collective identities such as gender, race, religion, and wealth, and distorts our national identity. In essence, the privileged status of being an American entitles us to a false sense of superiority resulting in animosity, distrust, fear of foreigners, and egocentricity.

The core standards of America are founded, in principle, on the basis of its diversity and equality among citizens. Begin- ning with its Declaration of Independence, the United States distinguished itself from other modern nation-states by establishing a country of men who were different but equal. Yet, despite the unifying images America projects within and beyond its borders, the idea behind E Pluribus Unum does not resound as one might assume it would.

Since the United States exists as a global power and is thus involved in various decisions and conflicts, people’s perceptions of the nation may vary. Some may say that it is a country of complete freedom where people can live the “American Dream”. On the other hand, others believe that it is rather a country where majority rules and the minority fails to be heard. Additionally, some even refuse to put a label on the United States, for it is a nation that is constantly adapting. Although it can be difficult to truthfully characterize the United States, the nation’s defining characteristics that continue to appear in society today are participation, individualism, and self-interest.