What Does It Mean To Be An American?

What it means to be american to me is hard work.This country was built on hard work and it still

When asking a random person what it means to be an American, it is surprising the multitude of different answer you get it. For some people it means being a citizen of the United States of America. Others might say it means being free. Many would not argue that it means relating to America. The different responses are innumerable. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, the word American is a noun and adjective. In each definition, references to the geographical Americas is made. Is there a right or wrong answer to this question? Any person's opinion of America, good or bad, is the answer to what American really means.

By birth, all humans are given the basic right to an identity. It tells people who we are, and sometimes, tell the owner who they are. However, some countries even take this necessity away. In the United States of America, despite all of its flaws, gives her citizens these basic rights. Some of these rights are the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to petition the government, right to bear arms, and civil trial by jury. Many countries, unfortunately, do not even give their residents these rights.

Americans strongly affirm the principles of religious freedom, religious tolerance, and separation of church and state. Nearly 9-in-10 (88 percent) Americans agree that America was founded on the idea of religious freedom for everyone, including religious groups that are unpopular. Ninety-five percent of Americans agree that all religious books should be treated with respect even if we don’t share the religious beliefs of those who use them. Nearly two-thirds (66 percent) of Americans agree that we must maintain a strict separation of church and state. Americans’ views of Muslims and Islam are mixed, however. As with other previously marginalized religious groups in U.S. history, Americans are grappling with the questions Islam poses to

America, the place where hopes and dreams come true, where people come to look for better opportunity is welcome to people from every nation out there. America doesn’t just have one nationality, it is full of immigrants, who come for a better life. The phrases ‘I’m an American’ is a part of our everyday vocabulary, but what does it mean? To be an American means to be yourself and have pride in what you do. Every American has a special skill to contribute to make America what it is today. That’s what makes America unique compared to other countries in the world.

When veterans day comes around it always has me thinking what does being an american means to me? What being an american means to me is to be free. I say this because I have the freedom to go to school, I can go anywhere, and I am free to have whatever job I want. But I also know that in other countries there is not a lot of freedom, like in africa there are people starving, there are people who can't go to school, or even get the job they want. Also what being an american means to me is to be safe. The U.S of course has bad days but I know in reality we have a strong military to back us up. To me being an american is important and you shouldn't abuse it because ,as stated earlier, in other counties they don't have the same rights as US. An american to me also means to have freedoms.

What is an American? This question cannot be answered by one word. There are so many different characteristics, qualities, and features that can be used to describe an American. Besides features, someone is only a real American if they take advantage of all of the many privileges that are given to them. Any person that is not grateful for the privileges that are given to them to me are not real Americans but this is only my opinion. Real Americans use their privileges to benefit themselves and everyone around them. In today's society there are certain things that are expected from American citizens, for instance being a responsible citizen.

What does it mean to be an American? To be an American it means to be able to be yourself and not be afraid of being you. People shouldn’t be ashamed and afraid to do something in life and have to worry of others opinions. Being an American allows you to stand up for what you want and make our own decisions. It allows us to have freedom of speech, individual rights, and being able to live life to the fullest and most of all be proud.

Now that I am older and a little wiser, what best describes Americans are our belief system and our ability to overcome obstacles and thrive. Our government is made of and by the people of America. Despite our differences, in America, if you work hard you can succeed. America is boundless, her tenacity is protected, and her essence is freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

There are many aspects to what it means to be an American. Freedom and equality are two things that defines you as an American. Also, depending on the area you live can have an impact on if you are considered an American. There are many things that surprised me throughout the essays in the book. What surprised me the most was the fact that we all had immigrants in our family that came to the United States from another country, so they were at one time immigrants. Also, I never really thought how America is a lot of different people coming together with all different religions.

What does it mean to be an American? There is no exact definition to what being an American is, that being that the word American comes of different religions, races, viewpoints in political and social life and more. As Americans, we are given priceless rights and freedom, including freedom of speech, protest and even the right to burn a flag. Now there are some who may think of these acts as being un-American, but to others the ability to consider yourself un-American is very American. Being American may also include the idea of pursuing the American Dream. There is no definite definition of what being an American is, but we do get the many different perspectives.

To be an American citizen to me means that you have the right to do more than other people in the world and you have more freedom than even more people because they don’t get the freedoms that we have. And since I have been getting more freedoms because I’m an American citizen, I can choose what I want to do, such as what job I want, or who I want to marry when I become of age. Also since I’m an American citizen, I can choose my religion and not be discriminated against because I chose that religion. To sum up so far it means that if you’re an American citizen, you can be free to do whatever you want as long as it’s legal. Also to be an American citizen to me, it means that if America gets in trouble, everyone in the states should help to defend the US from whoever is causing trouble for the America.

One of the most important things in America is freedom. In 1787, our founding fathers based our constitution on the idea of of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In our country there are a lot of freedoms one of them is speech you can be heard on your opinions and never have fear in what you're doing. Another freedom is your religion you can believe in your without fear of persecution of being discriminated against.

Liberty. The word is defined as “the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views.” It says right in the Pledge of Allegiance, “one nation… with liberty and justice for all”. Liberty is so important to Americans because of the freedom it means, and the rest of the world covets. It means that Americans have freedom of religion, of speech, of press, and do not hesitate to exercise it. It means that whatever someone believes or aspires to do, they can do it without persecution or ridicule. Liberty was one of the main principles America was founded upon, and continues to be a goal to strive towards.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The freedom Americans are granted is from the Declaration of Independence. Every American has privileges when they are a citizen of the United States of America. The government has to follow rules, also; they can not go against what the Declaration of Independence, or the Constitution, or what any other document states. The government and media control not only the country, but they also control lives. Freedom is a privilege that is acquired, you never know how much freedom you have until you lose it. Some countries do not grant freedom at all, some are even ruled by a dictator. The controlling government is shown in 1984. In George Orwell’s 1984, he shows how overpowering the government is through propaganda, manipulation, and stereotypes put on the people.