What Is America's Legacy

Thomas Paine’s characterization of America in his book Rights of Man describes American society which is different from today. While he effectively captured the diversity of America, he failed to describe how diversity separates citizens rather than bringing unity between them all.

America has been plagued with the “American Dream” since its citizens first started spreading out westward in search of wealth and fame. Along with this American ideal came the concept of being un-American and not standing for what was considered “true” American. With the emergence of Populists, Progressives and Radicals came a vast difference between what was thought as American. All groups claimed to be trying to make the US a better place however each differed vastly in their ideas of going about it. During the age of uncertainty between 1890 and the 1920’s a new movement called the Progressives emerged in parts of the Unites States. They emerged as part of a long tradition of reform aimed at correcting the issues of the country.

When one thinks of legacy, one thinks of the impact they will leave on the world once they are gone. As Miranda writes in her play Alexander Hamilton, “What is legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see” (Miranda). The American people will not see the legacy they plant today come to fruition, yet they can look back on the gardens tended by those who came before. This concept of what legacy is, in tern, shapes the idea of what America stands for. What is America, and what is her legacy? The argument can be made that legacy is not fixed and infinite, but malleable and ever changing. We see this when looking back on American history, for the America of before is different then the one of today. Therefore, America itself is not fixed but a work in progress, and will continue to be for as long as it values this trait. This ideal of America is bestowed in many of the author’s works analyzed during the semester. When looking back on several of the course readings, one can view the concept of legacy as a continuously developing ideal.

Since the early rise of the United States, Americans have unrolled their epitomes of liberty and even democracy to those who don't have these for lack of a better word “ideals” this is reflected by an important term called “manifest Destiny”. Through expansion The United States has brought both improvement and unfortunately some negative effects. To be more specific the louisiana territory and california have changed the country forever.

American beliefs and opinions give a great understanding of what an American values. The want and need for freedom is described in many different ways based on origin or social beliefs. The main backbone of America today is freedom. Through the building of an American empire everyone can’t come to an understanding of what it is to be equally free. By comparing and contrasting the perspectives of Patrick Henry’s speech to the “Virginia Convention,” to take up arms and fight for our freedom. Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” who feels it’s time to end slavery. It is clear that the struggles of the American story are still prevalent and America has not yet found a way for freedom for all.

     By expounding on our rights as individuals, we have directed the progress of this nation’s growth. Our past was shaped

As America entered the 20th century, the country entered a time period known as the Progressive Era. This era was one defined by political reform and social activism as well as myriad of problems arising from America’s rapid industrialization. During the Progressive era, America faced several international, political, and social challenges that would set us on the road to the society in which we now live.

In American tradition, the value of the individual, and individual opinion, is held in high esteem. Free expression is the means by which consensus is reached and central authority is balanced. In this democracy,

The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” (Jefferson). As the United States was built with an emphasis on equality for all citizens, it is increasingly pertinent to ensure that these values are retained. Throughout this country’s history, many conflicts regarding the ultimate equality of all citizens have resulted in the people themselves resisting restrictive laws. Protests, when peaceful, have always had a positive effect on retaining the freedoms promised by the Declaration of Independence. In order to pass on these values, American children are taught about those who chose to resist. Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Susan B. Anthony are only a few of

America, land of the free, place of opportunities, has been through a lot to get to where it is today. As much as there are lots of negative, we gain positivity and justices along the way. Our struggle for democracy is an ongoing and never-ending war, but as much it is our struggle for democracy and justice, we can create a more justified society for our future generation just like how our past generation fought for our basic rights. The great migration and the court case, Brown versus the Board of Education, has been events that may have occurred in the shortest amount of time, but has made a huge impact of America’s history for the better. As much this has made a significant contribution to history, there is still lots of work

Thomas Paine, a revolutionary, intellectual, and supporter of American independence from England published a book titled, “Rights of Man” which deals with the government shielding the natural rights of its people. Initially, the book captures the diverse aspect of this nation, but it fails to reveal the struggles that arise to preserve and adapt to such a society. Paine expresses his optimism towards the supposed perfection of American society, as one “made up...of people from different nations,” with certain expectations. Additionally, the time gap between “Rights of Man” and modern America cannot be neglected. Paine wrote during an era in which “constructing a government on the principles of society and the rights of man” was the essential objective of the country. However, modern-day America experiences opposite ideals and Paine’s theory no longer remains true because of the educational gap between the rich and poor, terrorism, and racial profiling.

In many historical and present instances, expression of individual opinion and rights are often oppressed. Such an idea is present in Sophocles’s Antigone, excerpts from Henry Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” essay, and the article “PRO/CON: Is Snowden a hero or traitor” by Mark Weisbrot and James Carafano. Each piece of literature provides a perspective on the topic of oppression and its effect on the human society. The oppression of others’ rights, opinions, and freedom often negatively affects society and damages the mentality of its people.

We live in this country for the land, and the for the free as Americans we rely on many attributes in this world in order for us to live our lives. Our government has supplied us with many great things for us to be proud of. Our government is “the institutions and processes though which public policies are made for society.” (Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry, p. 7). With all these institutions which includes the President, Congress, the courts and all the federal administrative agencies. These are the institutions that make up public policies for us, and to shape the way we live as Americans. The way this system has been operating through all the years has been

American society is known for having the highest standard of living across the globe; this is solely due to the consumerist culture that is brought forth by capitalism. Americans in the U.S. take pride in these standards and in the freedoms that this democratic nation has established. The 20th century will always be remembered in American history as a century of radical changes on the social and political fronts of the nation. Literature, too, evolved quickly from specific, compartmentalized fields which fit into categories, to works which had no set definition—nobody knew what to do with them. These changes also took place in poetry; artistic expression began to change across the arts and so did the mediums. Poets across the nation

Every generation has their own ideal of the “perfect American”, and each generation seemingly losing the right of free thinking more and more. Our society is releasing the grip on the freedom to have an opinion that doesn’t agree with the minds of others. Minds are being persuaded to think a certain way in order to have a sense of belonging. Opinions are being forced down the throats of youth in America. Opinions that correspond with major topics such as race, gender stereotypes, or gender orientation are the topics that people have forced their opinion into the circuit for many years. Through the generations the right to an opinion has changed a great deal. Going from two major opinions to allowing for everyone to have their own is how the negative and positives of Americans have evolved. Along with free thinking the change in work ethic is a main change that is shown through the generations.