What It Means To Be An American Essay

America is known for its freedom. Freedom to speak your opinion, freedom to practice any religion that you choose, and freedom to criticize the government. American’s are able to have the power or right to act, speak, or even think about almost anything they wanted to without restraint from the government or from other people. Migrants from other countries come to the United States to have a chance at freedom. To raise a family away from war torn cities or harsh governments. They come to America in hopes of getting the chance to succeed in life and express themselves without anybody critiquing them. However, America is not as free as it’s made out to be. American history has been filled with racism and discrimination against

America is known across the world as a country that endorses freedom and equality. A place where one will not be judged based off of the characteristics that create them. The land of the free and the home of the brave is what we sing as an anthem to invite people to our land .Although this country already struggled with battles between races and ethnicities,these morals are what we're supposed to represented our country, but the opinions and actions of Americans did not come as a surprise.

Initially, being an American means freedom. The first amendment in the constitution guarantees freedoms such as religion, speech, and expression. The freedom of religion is one of the main factors why so many people want to immigrate to the US. There are many illegal immigrants in us, but they are here to make a better life for their families and to seek the American dream. Another freedom the US has been the freedom of speech. Many people use this freedom to voice their opinion in protests about various things. Although there are a couple of words that are not legal to say whenever that person wants.

America is known for it’s freedom. Freedom to speak your opinion, freedom to practice any religion that you choose, and freedom to criticize the government. American’s are able to have the power or right to act, speak, or even think about almost anything they wanted to without restraint from the government or from other people. Migrants come to the United States to become free. To raise a family away from war torn cities or harsh governments. They come to America in hope of getting the chance to succeed in life and express themselves without anybody critiquing them. However America is not as free as it’s made out to be. American history has been filled with racism and discrimination against people’s race, religion, and social groups. From slavery and the civil rights movement to recent threats towards muslims. People judge other people by the things they wear, the color of their skin, or by the way they act. America is not free. America was never free. There was and is still discrimination against race, religion, and social groups. Americans were not equal and rights can differ between people and social classes and sadly it’s still happening today. It may be hard to digest or painful to hear but America is far from the freedom that it’s known for.

What does America mean to you? I recently returned from my 8th grade field trip to Washington DC. Here I would see and experience memories of a lifetime with my classmates. I would learn what America really meant to me as an American. The three most important words that would come to me throughout the entire trip would be Liberty, Diversity and the American Dream. I would be reminded of the important freedoms our government fought over to be free, and the diversity it allowed people living in our country to have. What is Liberty, it is the freedom you have to do without question or permission. What is Diversity, is to be from any country, culture, skin color, religion or political belief. To accept and respect anyone who is different than you.

The call to being an American invokes something special. It means going above and beyond merely existing as a citizen within the country. It entails that one becomes an active citizen in order to ensure that the ideals once established remain intact. In that manner, it calls for one to act in behalf of the common good. It is because Americans have been able to band together under the idea of serving everyone that America has been able to unite different races all with a common goal. As Andrew Hamilton once said in Defense of Freedom of The Press , “This is what every man that values freedom ought to consider; he should act by judgement and not by affection or self-interest; for where those prevail, no ties of either country or kindred are regarded; as, upon the other hand, the man who loves his country prefers its liberty to all other consideration, well knowing that without liberty life is a misery…”. Perhaps it is true that the opinions of some are arbitrary, but if there is one nation where its people have learned to stick together to form something bigger than themselves as individuals, it is America. They are the ones who have learned to adopt enlightened

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.

I am proud to be an American because it is a place where everyone belongs, where no one is left out. In America there is always room for hope and prosperity. America might be free, but in this land we fight tooth and nail for what we believe in, no matter what it is, no matter the cost. America is the country of fighters, know worldwide for fighting for their beliefs, for fighting for what we think is right. I am proud to be an American because of it's sanctuary it offers, because of the men and women that fought selflessly for our freedom. I am proud because of America's rich history that makes it the country that it is

“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves,” Abraham Lincoln once said. I agree very much with this statement. America is the land where we can be whatever we want to be, we can speak our minds, we can have any religion we want, and we can assemble peacefully. In many other places if we were to speak our minds we would

America: “The land of the free and the home of the brave.” When I first moved to America from India in elementary school, I heard countless exciting stories. The most important thing I was told was that America is the land to start over, a land full of equal opportunities, and a land of happiness. While growing older however, I started to understand that not everyone is comfortable with foreigners. When I was eight years old, I learned that there will always be people who will not agree with who you are due to your racial background.

Every US citizen has the right to say what he or she pleases, but that doesn’t exclude the fact that there are consequences for what one says. That is a rule that has been enforced since the constitution was created. But sometimes, expressing your thoughts and opinions outweigh the risk of the consequences that another citizen can throw at you. A belief in a change, that benefits all, outweighs what any consequence can be thrown at yourself. Throughout history, we have had historic moments of change all starting from someone expressing how they feel about a situation and/or not caring about the consequences that could happen to them. This is a right that allows us to speak freely and openly without a fear of any punishment being handed to us

America is one of the most diverse countries in the world in that it has a manifold of nationalities, races, languages, religions, and cultures. While there are plenty of differences between all of the American citizens, there are some aspects that unite us all such as liberty, equality, and opportunity. Thus, an American uses his liberties that are given, is accepting and fair towards others, and utilizes the various opportunities offered. An American must commit himself to these ideals since these are the very ideals that America was founded on.

In today’s society we go on and on thinking the American lifestyle is what we see with our own eyes, and not our own actions. Citizens believe that what they see on social media, and in the news is why we are able to call ourselves American citizens. We tell ourselves, “We have a right to do as we wish whenever, wherever. Even if others do not accept us.” But being in that mind set does not make us American Citizens, it just makes us ignorant. Yes, in America we have rights to free speech, but that does not give us a reason to speak out of hate or context. In order to make a strong America we have to start mentally, and then, as time goes on, we will able to actually call ourselves “Strong American Citizens Building a Strong America.”

While personal freedom is such a vital part of the daily life of American citizens, but people often treat it as if having independence is a thing that comes without a price. There are many different challenges that come with having a large amount of freedom. Each person has the choice of how they are going to live their life, but this isn’t always a good thing. A nation can’t work properly if there are no regulations or punishments for irresponsible behaviors. America gives its citizens control over their own lives, but it also contains

Above all else, the people of America value Freedom -- freedom that is demonstrated in the way we value equality and embrace diversity. An American protects their rights and their freedom. We value the ability to speak freely, dress how we want, travel, document our experiences, and do what we want to do. An American puts in effort to make sure everyone is treated equally, and that they aren’t discriminated against based off of their race, sexuality, or national origin. We, as Americans, contribute to what many call the “Great American melting Pot”, by embracing and celebrating each other’s differences. Cultures from around the world are embedded throughout daily life. You see different types of restaurants with food from other countries, clothing stores that display colors and styles from all over the world, you hear the influence of other cultures in music. America is a place for everyone,