preview

What It Means To Be An American Essay

Decent Essays

People have different opinions about what it means to be an American. Some feel proud to call themselves an American while others feel shamed. America itself has done to other things to other countries that many American are not proud of. Then there are thing that America has established as a country that some people from outside countries admire. When people think of an American, they think of things like freedom, happiness, equality, opportunity, etc., but in reality, some of those terms are not necessarily true. There is not an exact definition to “What does it mean to be an American?” it is an abstract idea, everyone’s experience is different, but that is exactly what creates the diverse country we live in. Yes we do have “freedom”, but it is not the same for every …show more content…

There are so many different answers from so different types of people, that there is no exact answer. Some just go ahead and basically say the definition to the American Dream, not realizing that those are two completely different subjects. While others like to think outside of the box, about not just what America has done for its country, but what it has done for the world. To me personally, I always have mixed feelings and thoughts about this question. I think about all the negative things about this nation like race and equality issues but then I also think about how it has given me and my family a chance to start a new life here, about how thankful I am for the living conditions I am provided by this country. America is not the only country that is in a bad state, there are worse things happening out there, but I do not understand why no one is trying to fix this nation. If we were to all step up and do something, this country could turn out to be something we all can eventually learn to love. So how can we expect America to become a respectable country when it cannot stop criticizing each other and everyone around

Get Access