Why Do We Lose Our Way

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.

A man will always have to face adversity in one way or another, the way that you address adversity is usually called a conflict. A conflict can be described in multiple ways such as man vs man, man vs nature, and man vs nature just to name a few. Conflict is inevitable in life, but the manner in which you handle is your own choice.

The United states of America has successfully staked its claim as a leader among the nations of the world in the fields of government and justice. When America gained its independence, there was a system of governing put into place that included well thought out rules which were deemed best for all involved. The textbook American Government and Politics Today, lets the reader know of the dire necessity for the men, women, and children who had gained their freedom from Great Britain, to have a guideline they could follow and base their decisions on (Schmidt, 2017). Throughout

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

After reading the transcript of the speech, “The Spirit of Liberty”, given by federal judge for more than 50 years, Learned Hand, who served most of the time on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, my idea of what it means to be an American was slightly shifted. The statement made by Hand which really caught my attention was, “What do we mean when we say that first of all we seek liberty? I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are false hopes.” I agree with Hand in the sense that the constitution can only serve purpose to our country if we, as Americans, learn to be truly accepting.

We had to deal with suppression with our religion and freedoms, and our foundation is built on this. If we hadn’t want to be free, I doubt our country would standing here today. Men and women worked hard and some sacrifice all they had looking to the future and making sure we didn’t have to go through what they had. Everyone worked hard for what they had, and that’s where we get the phrase American-made. People appreciated this because they knew someone had spent a lot of time and effort into making this. If people had this attitude today and the willingness to put in the work to get what they wanted, our nation as a whole would be much more successful. If our nation hadn’t come from this, I doubt we would have near as much pride to be American.This is why we should look at the past to get our hope. If we take to heart what we see, we can change the outcome of where our country is headed at this moment. Even for individuals, we can work hard to get where we want in life. This is what it means to find our history in the past. If we can start a country like this back then, think about what we could do now in this mind-set! Working hard is what should define us, and that’s why we have pride in our nation and what it stands

Over the course of the first century and a quarter of the history of the United States of America, what it means to be an American has been defined by a number of different documents. The authors of those documents have come from varied backgrounds all searching to find their place in the growth and development of this country. At the beginning of the nation, those authors came from the English tradition of what government should look like and what those who were looking to change that government should do. When the country experienced some early growing pains, many of those same people came together again to try and develop a new system of laws for the country. As the nation grew up, it also grew apart and faced arguably the most

When the Pilgrims settled into Massachusetts in 1620, they dreamed of a better life, a life away from the persecution they experienced in England from King George. They never would have dreamed that their small colony of Plymouth would blossom to be one of the largest countries in the world. And yet, nearly four hundred years later, it has become apparent to many, that America is in a downward spiral. It has come to a time where, the fate of our country could fall into the hands of one of the many people who believe it is right to persecute those of a specific religion because the actions of a small group of religious extremists. The unalienable First Amendment right of freedom of religion would be denied to more than 2.6 million people, based on uneducated assumptions. In addition to this, America has come to the point where more than forty-five million people live in poverty. Likewise, statistics show approximately 48.1 million people are in the uncomfortable position where they are insecure about their next, if not current, meal. In addition to this, our famous government, our renowned democracy, has become belittled by assumptions of political corruption. Furthermore, the morals in America have started to disappear, not only in our government, but also in our society. More kids are getting bullied and more people agree that we should rely less on faith, the very reason we built and expanded our country in the first place. Our once thriving nation

America: Land of the free and home of the brave. That was the idea that the people had hundreds of years ago. How they would feel now that we are a country that is enslaved to profit and not the least bit brave when it comes to speaking truth. Mark Shield, author of the article “Missing: Any Challenge for the Common Good,” brings to the attention of how todays tactic of running things has become more than a little undermining. The presidential campaign of 2016 has been no more than a bumbling mess for the past few months. Republican front-runner and celebrity, Donald Trump, has led his campaign with racist remarks and the promise of a wall he will not pay for, to separate borders. While the popular vote of the Democratic Party,

“Man can learn and improve themselves.” John Locke, English Philosopher. As America has progressed, there have been many big changes, in some fields more than others. We have come a long way with resolving conflicts with civil liberties, such as women’s rights, the freedom of speech and the freedom from torture.

America. Are we born with knowledge of the Constitution? Has our sense of this land shaped our culture and formed our laws? If we pledge allegiance to it, must it also stand for “We the people?” Have we made America and the Constitution synonymous, compatible. One. There is a need to know the Constitution for oneself that is right, wise, and beneficial. And yet there has been a revelation. Living in ignorance of the Constitution is a life of illusions and deception. And the elect pose no action to rise above this. The illusion will sweep through this nation for people embrace the mere appearance of what it means to be an American. But promise and truth remain within the Constitution because it's inspired and useful. It has revealed what was

Everyday. Everyday we see articles, blogs, and videos of citizens having their rights violated; values demoralized; and beliefs taunted. Each report by media outlets is filled with bias, whether it be natural or driven by a “secret agenda” as so many claim. Within the Constitution is a set of rights or principles that were granted to each individual by our founding fathers. To this day, every American holds true to these principles; it is these principles that make us different, make us unique, it is these principles that make us free. But what happens when these rights are violated, when our values are destroyed? What happens when our way of life is suspended to make way for a greater or safer good? When we as citizens no longer have

17). To me, this issue begs the question, “Will we be a nation guided directly by the principles of our founders or will we be an ever-changing society guided by the most prevalent principles found within our country at a certain time?”

The topic of our rights come about all through out time. When dealing with this country’s “norms”, the contrast in peoples beliefs does not seem to be any different. Some believe that the purpose of standing up for the pledge/ anthem or using “under god” within them, is just a form of respect for our soldiers and/or just away to express this country’s freedom. On the other hand, a large percentage or this country believes this not only actually contradicts what an individual believes but in fact takes away the freedom that they supposedly give.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.