America Dispatches From The New Frontier Thesis

1581 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Benefits and challenges associated with expression of cultural identity

In his anthology, Americana: Dispatches From the New Frontier, best-selling author, award-winning journalist, and historian Hampton Sides describes different aspects and characteristics of American life. For more than fifteen years, Sides has traveled widely, exploring different version of America not widely recognized .America: Dispatches from the New Frontier shows that there is no wrong way to be an American. While Americans may seem drastically different on the surface, with different likes and dislikes, and with different visions for the future, Americans are all motivated by the American Dream. Americana shows that Americans are motivated by the notion that get to choose who they become and they are motivated by the idea that with hard …show more content…

Some insist that in order to be a “true” American you have to behave a certain type of way ,speak in an a particular manner, practice a specific religion, or prescribe to certain beliefs. However, I believe that “being” American is all in the mentality and what drives a person to do whatever interests them. I believe Sides’ anthology truly demonstrates this. The people whose life he writes about all have different interests and passions, but they are propelled forward by similar motives that are uniquely American. Since birth, these Americans have been told that their in the land of the free, and consequently, who they become is up to …show more content…

The Northeast, South, Midwest, Southeast and Western regions of the United States all have distinct traditions and customs, and even within those regions people vary and are part of different subcultures. The United States is salad bowl; different American cultures are brought together — like salad ingredients — but do not form together into a single homogeneous culture. Each culture keeps its own distinct qualities. This goes with the American value of individuality and independence. Cultures from around the world have influenced American culture. I would try to stress that American culture is guided more by value than by specific practices and customs. One of the biggest driving motivator for Americans is the concept of equality of opportunity, the notion that every person can “make it”, given a fair chance. In America, it is widely believed that with enough hard work and dedication you can succeed and provide a better life for your family and

Show More
Related

  • The American West: A Land of Opportunity

    637 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the Civil War, Americans abandoned the sectional emphasis caused by slavery and developed a national focus. During the period from 1865-1890, Americans completed the settlement of the West. For the farmers and ranchers, the American West was a land of opportunity because land was cheap and the Homestead Act provided land to farmers, including immigrants and blacks, in order to grow crops, raise cattle and make a profit. The American West was also seen as a land of opportunity for miners due to the gold and silver rush in the far west which they believed would make them rich. However, both groups faced many challenges and few achieved great wealth.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of 'The More Factor' By Laurence Shames

    1776 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Laurence Shames’s article, “The More Factor”, Shames explains how America has grown to believe and reinforce the opportunistic concept of the frontier—vast open space where possibilities of success have the potential to cultivate. This concept has become symbolic of what America stands for: the freedom to go further and farther than man has ever dreamed of, and without limits. And while this mindset still exists as an ideology of America, as well as how the rest of the world believes America supports itself, this ideology can no longer hold itself to be true. This optimistic approach cannot define the growing and upcoming generations of the 21st century. In the same way that Shames states that “in America, a sense of quality has lagged far

    Read More

  • Analysis: The American Dream Behind The Mirror

    1685 Words  | 4 Pages

    Today, American society seems to have become trapped behind a mirror, encouraged to pursue one’s own perfection and dreams above all others. Even during the conception of the country people uprooted their lives and left their families and everything they knew in hope for a better life for themselves. They left to explore a new land by themselves where no one knew them seeking to escape who they used to be. The early Americans pursued their self-advancement and the ability to climb the social ladder, and this possibility of a new life became known as the “American Dream:” the lonely selfish pursuit of a better life. This seed of hope was the plague that begot a largely solitary existence. The “American Dream”

    Read More

  • American Cultural Myths

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States and cultural myths pertaining to this country have been a topic of discussion for many years. Stephanie Coontz’s “The Way We Wish We Were”, David Brooks’ “One Nation Slightly Divisible” and Margaret Atwood’s “A Letter to America” are all essays about different American cultural myths. Each author focuses on a different cultural myth that pertains to the United States. They explain how these myths are thwarting a realistic view of America. As well as changing the perception of the country as a whole. The major cultural myths of America among the texts are about “ideal families”, “ideal lifestyles, and a “ideal country.”

    Read More

  • Pecos Bill Rides The Tornado, John Henry: The Steel Driving Man

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    In America, there’s hopes and dreams of becoming successful, but no one is willing to put in the work to do so. Many people have become successful, because either it’s passed on down from generations, or others work hard for it. People who are successful aren’t because they’re special, it’s because they’re unique from anyone else. Almost every Early Americans looked forward to living the American dream that everyone dreamt of, but rarely anyone has put in work to achieve that goal. The stories of, “Pecos Bill Rides the Tornado”, “John Henry: The Steel Driving Man”, and “Paul Bunyan Tames the Whistling River” by S.E. Schlosser all shows the unique features about these characters. In “Pecos Bill Rides the Tornado”, Bill is well known throughout

    Read More

  • american character - then and now

    2079 Words  | 5 Pages

    Whether it is an ad, an educational program, or a job interview, the air of American character still echoes throughout America today. It may not be seen in the struggling to provide for one’s family in today’s society, but rather the struggling of immigrants from the past helps give America an identity. In the end, American character is not just one aspect of life, particularly the first western frontier, but it consists of many waves of this western frontier, which ironically resulted in its disappearance. Thus, the close of the western frontier opened a new chapter in American life, American character, and the American dream.

    Read More

  • Perception of American Exceptionalism

    1498 Words  | 3 Pages

    Americans through the years of existence have adapted well to the radical changes throughout the world. Technology, independence and social equality are some of the diverse concepts the United States have adapted to and developed in order to become a more unified country. Our nation believes that it is exceptional when it comes to other countries worldwide. As can be shown through the popular reference to America as the ‘shining city on a hill’. The term “American exceptionalism” is derived from ideals held by many Americans throughout history. Different people have analyzed American exceptionalism through multiple literary devices. Works such as A Model of Christian Charity, What is an American and Acres of Diamonds illustrate the sentiment that America is incomparable to any other country through different approaches. On the contrary, Democracy in America and How the Other Half Lives are two documents that argue against this theory through harsh yet meaningful remarks.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Essay On Junior Diaz

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    One who seeks “The American Dream” strives to better their ways to accommodate their hope of undergoing Americanization to reach “the American Dream.” During the process of Americanization, one may lose sight of their individuality by family struggles, differential living, and over pleasing.

    Read More

  • Comparing Carl Sandburg's Chicago And Willa Cather´s My Antonia

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American frontier is a term used to delineate the history of the creation of America. It is a tale of survival, persistence, and the merging of peoples and cultures that gave birth and continuing life to America. For hundreds of years the United States has been attracting immigrants with its promise of freedom and opportunity. Unfortunately, though many contributed to what makes America so great through their role as laborers, caretakers and pioneers on the frontier, the promise of freedom and opportunity were unattainable for many due to barriers created to prevent their success–several examples of which are found in Carl Sandburg’s “Chicago” and Willa Cather’s My Ántonia. Through the physical struggle for survival, the social battle between

    Read More

  • Frederick Jackson Turner Frontierism

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since its inception, America has been characterized as a unique country created through immigrants adopting similar values and traits, a process known as Americanization. However, America cannot be fully understood unless one identifies the foundations of this assimilation process. Both Frederick Jackson Turner and Ralph Waldo Emerson attribute Americanization to the effect of the individual’s relationship with nature, but Jane Addams argues that true Americanization is a product of the unification of people through charity.

    Read More

  • The Imperfect Masterpiece

    1600 Words  | 4 Pages

    America is the nation of immigrants. America was founded on the principals of freedom of speech, equality, and the pursuit of happiness and this principle of freedoms encouraged people to come to America. To be an American does not simply mean being born on American soil, it means that one believes and supports the beliefs of American principles. Scruton stated that, “to inherit a culture you must identify with it; and if you cannot identify with it, then you must find a new identity by rejecting it.” To be American is to live by its values, such as patriotism, individualism, conformity, success, and equality. While these are American values, the conflicts that occur between values and those that hold these values is what makes an American. These values lead Americans to become loyal yet logical, expressive yet traditional, and hypocritically tolerant or truly tolerant yet discriminating, all because we hold dearly the tenets of freedom to speech, liberty and pursuits of happiness.

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God Analysis

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    The chances are that if you are an American, you are searching for an identity. Ours is a nation made up of people from somewhere else. These other places are ethnic, religious, cultural, and social. Even though they may be American citizens, the characters or speaker in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and “Let America be America Again” by Langston Hughes are all on journeys to find themselves, to determine where they fit in their worlds. They raise questions less about how to be an American and more about how “to be” in America. I include myself on this journey.

    Read More

  • american

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    While the American can be looked at as a singular stereotypical entity, it is important to realize the many differences that exist between Americans living in different regions of the country. When people who have lived in America all their lives travel to a different part of the country, they are often just as amazed at the differences in culture as people are who come to America from foreign countries. For Instance, a woman who is a New England native that travels south to North Carolina for the first time will be shocked at the cultural differences she encounters. The New Englander will discover that the natives of North Carolina speak different, eat differently, and even act differently. She discovers what is referred to as ‘Southern hospitality’ when she interacts with people who exhibit a sense of kindness and manners far beyond that of which she is accustomed. On the menu at restaurants she will see items she is unfamiliar with, such as: grits, pigs feet, cheesy westerns, an...

    Read More

  • A True American

    1331 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through works read during the year, ideals of what makes someone an American are common. Throughout the year the pieces of literature argue that a true American is someone who is willing to fight in any sort of battle and strife to ensure their rights of freedom as well as the country’s. Within the American dream the ideal is to embrace change, but to also conserve values. Americans epitomize hypocrisy because they want to conserve American culture, but do not conform to the needs of those who embrace the change. To be an American is to be free to express oneself and live their life freely, while to be able to pursue their own happiness; but also to be American is to accept that not all situations will

    Read More

  • Essay On The American Frontier

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American frontier began in the year of 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia. This was the earliest days of European settlement. The frontier paved the path to essentially what is known as the United States of America. There are a plethora of claims concerning the frontier. Some historians claim that the frontier created the spirit of American equality, while others believe America is essentially a place of inequality. There are arguments for both sides depending on the person asked and their background.

    Read More

More about America Dispatches From The New Frontier Thesis

Open Document