545 million people have called themselves Americans since this country began in 1776, and around 1.2 million people have died in war for this country. (Source 1)(Source 2) So what did these people live for? What did they die for? They did not live or die for 3,537,436 sq. miles of land. (source 3) They did not call themselves American after any person, object, or place. They called themselves American because they wanted to take on the American identity. An identity shaped by its past, modeled by the presence, and ready to shape the future. The American identity is one of dreamers. To be American is to have a dream, whatever that dream is, and to strive to make that dream a reality. A dream is what all Americans live, and die for.
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the American identity, it must be understood what shapes Americans. As Columbus discovered this land in 1492, a new world was created. One untouched by European hands. A world open and full of resources and opportunity. For many it would be a new start. This new world is where the American identity would be shaped. A place where America was not even in existence yet. While many people came over to America to escape poverty, or to start new lives, one group is highlighted in American society, the pilgrims. They worshiped their God apart from the Catholic church in their homes in Europe. This made the catholic rulers very angry as they received payments from there church goers and didn't want to lose the revenue to the “separatists”. (Source 4) The Pilgrims saw corruption in the church of England and wanted to create a new church, a church that was perfect and not tainted by greed. They fled to America to do this. America was a place without a king and his guards, a place where new lives could be created. The Separatist left to fulfill their dream in a church that was righteous by their standards. Their original pursuit of a dream in 1620 still lives on in every American today. Just as the pilgrims had separated from the church in 1620, the colonies would separate from England in 1776. As more and more people came to America, the king of England pressed more and more regulations on its colonies to give more back to the royal crown. In Americas beginning, there was little control from the Royal Crown. Governors were set up and in some cases there were elected by the people. Government was lax and some states offered freedom of religion and other rights that were not allowed in England. (Source 4) The people living in the colonies thought their lives were great. They wrote letters and sent messages to their homes calling their friends to come over and join them. To encourage people to come over, colonies set up rewards. Men who came to America as indentured servants and were given freedom dues at the time of their release from servitude. The poorest man in Virginia owned 50 acres, had a house and tools for farming. This was paradise to the poor of Europe, who had nothing but the clothes on their back.(Source 4) Colonist were happy till England began to restrict the freedoms of the colonist. This was seen as audacious, and some colonist called for rebellion. Patriots created slogans like “no taxation without representation” or “give me liberty or give me death”. (Source 4) They dreamed of a country with little government where any man could be successful, and that dream drove the colonist to rebel against the “tyranny” of England. The revolutionary war is an example of Americas dream. England was an unjust ruler, and had to be overthrown to fulfill the dream of a free country, by and for the people. Americas birth was pushed forward by the ideals of the people already living there. They had a dream of a perfect country and what they created was fulfillment of that dream. However, there is a problem with American’s dreams. Sometimes Americans have different ideas for their dreams. An example of differing dreams was in the American civil war. While some Americans dreamed America as being equal for all, others saw their dream by owning slaves and suppressing blacks. (source 5) The civil war ensued with fighting between the North and South. The south fought for its dream of slavery in America. The North fought for its dream of equality among all races. Since the North won the war, their dream was displayed through America with legislation like the Emancipation proclamation and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the constitution. (source 5) While in this case the side of justice and equality won its fulfillment of its dream, it brings up the issue in the American identity. While all Americans strive to fulfill a dream, their different dreams can sometimes result in conflicts. The process of debate, conflict, or emendations of people’s dreams have created the America seen today. When Americans do agree on a dream in their society, they greatly cling to it.
An example of this is democracy. Americans are proud of their democracy, and they view it as the most perfect system of government. It holds their ideals of equality, purity, and freedom. One of the greatest examples of Americans going to defend their dream is in WW1. Prior to the U.S. involvement in WW1, Americans were highly against going to war. (Source 5) Most of America's population had close ties to Europe and did not wish to support any side, Allied or Central powers. (Source 5) However President Woodrow Wilson knew differently. He knew that America would inevitably be dragged into the conflict due to the support of its allies, Britain and France. Wilson also knew that the U.S. could not allow the German U-boat captains to attack American ships without giving a fight or America would look like cowards. However, Wilson could not get enough support from the American people to go to war. (Source 5) Wilson then used the American dream of democracy against them. Wilson called for war not to help U.S. alliances out, or to help out its capitalist efforts, but to defend democracy and the dream of a peaceful world. (Source 6) Wilson paid for propaganda to be printed all over America, painting the U.S. as the defenders of democracy. (Source 5) Once the Americans had something to fight for they took off. Factories were repurposed to create guns, tanks, and ammo. (Source 5) Women entered the workforce …show more content…
in high numbers for the first time in America's history. (Source 6) Americans before had thought the war as below them, wishing for Europe to have it out with themselves, and not involve Americas perfect dream, but when Woodrow Wilson initiated his 14 points speech and made the war about defending democracy, Americans put all their effort into securing the dream of American democracy for all countries. (source 5) While America was united in its dream in World War 1, it was divided in the 1960s.
While the civil war uncovered the divide in Americans dreams, the Northern victory didn't fix the division in its southern rivals. The post-civil war era created segregation and in some cases, undercover slavery in the never ending, unescapable, circle of poverty. While this cycle lasted virtually unchanged from 1865 to 1960, the people who dreamed of equality for all saw the south as enemies to their dream. ( source 7) The 1960’s marked an era of division in American people that would not be left alone. The traditionalist dreamed that the blacks would be in a lower position in society. The youth of the 60’s dreamed of America as a place of equality. Martin Luther King was one of the individuals who wished to see equality in America as fulfillment to his dream. King motivated people to try and achieve their dreams of perfection peacefully. (letter from Birmingham jail) However, Anti-segregationists saw King as a threat to their perfect, racist dream. This escalated to the point where King was shot by James Earl Ray on April 4, 1968. (Source 8) After the assassination, mass rioting ensued as 1968 was plagued with turmoil. America was split down the middle, with the wild rebellious youth against the adults of the past. Americas turmoil was caused by a division of dreams. Those divisions were over race, equality, sex, gender, roles in society, drugs, music, and war. Americans divisions lead to
rioting and destruction. When Americans were united in their dreams they did incredible things. When they were divided against each other they went into destruction. Americans are united by one thing. It is not race, gender, religion, or location. It is the want and strive to fulfill a dream. Americans received this want from their past, leaving their home countries to reach their dream, just like the pilgrims did. When they were divided over there dream they did very little, and achieve almost nothing commutatively, like in the civil war or in the 60s era of turmoil. But together, united, sharing the same dream, Americans can win wars. They can overcome divisions; they can do what they are driven to do, fulfill their dream.
"To prohibit a great people from making all that they can of every part of their own produce advantageous to themselves, is a manifest violation of the most sacred rights of mankind." These views of Adam Smith were very much supported throughout the mid-18th century. Throughout this time, many new developments were made regarding American colonists view's of their sense of identity and unity as Americans. Due to an over controlling British government and a need for individuality as a country, colonists became Americans through their great fight to highly develop their sense of identity and unity as Americans.
To be an American is to be proud of your flag and country, to be willing to suffer for America, and to never be willing to give up.
People may be wondering about the point stated previously; well the meaning of being an American has a diversity of viewpoints. Constantly the Americans have face many challenges creating different point of view that could change the meaning of being and American; but the ability to improve common life, to have liberty, and to be a nonconformist with a rational thinking mind means to be an American as a previously being state in this argument. Discussing another point of view like Jonathan Edwards and Ralph Emersons have different from previous authors point of view. Jonathan Edwards is more like to a region person that life and dies for God at any cost because on his sermon he claim “But here you are in the land of the living and in the house
Americans are defined by the respect they have for their country and its government, in taking advantage of their freedoms and rights that they gain by showing respect through allegiance, pride, and loyalty.
On April 4th, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, an event that would change history forever occurred. That was the day James Earl Ray assassinated the driving force of the Civil Rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. It shook the nation, as the man who was planning on bringing peace and racial harmony in the United States was killed in an instant. He was probably the most influential scapegoat in American history, setting out to create equality for all races in America. There were many extremist white-based groups which detested the idea of equality, believing that whites were superior over all, groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Martin Luther King did not back down when groups like the KKK harassed him; he used their hate against them and allowed it to thrust him forward for the sake of bettering his cause and pushing towards racial equality. In the end, Martin Luther King was assassinated for his passion and beliefs; his hard work paid off because after his death, there was at least legal racial equality in the U.S. His bravery and strength
To be an American means more than just living in the country for a set amount of years. It means more than being granted citizenship, and more than just waving a Boy Scout American flag in your yard on Memorial Day. To be an American is to be free, and that is what we as Americans sometimes take for granted and forget. Being an American isn 't just living in the "greatest country in the world", there are plenty of other countries that say the same exact things. There are far less countries in this world, though, that are free, and have the American mindset. Not many countries employ so many freedoms and have the 'American dream '. The American mindset is not just something that
What does it mean to be an American? To me, what it means to be American is to Pledge Allegiance to your country, to proudly boast that you live in a country that has a justification for existence, to be given opportunity. Although there are many definitions of what it means to be an American, does being an American really just mean being successful in society? The point of this essay is to describe the different meanings and my feelings of what it is to be “American”.
Being an American has a big picture that can be described in many ways. Personally, being an American is to achieve everything; however, the person next to you may have a different opinion about it. In history, America has been attracting immigrants from different parts of the world to live the full freedom and opportunity. To be an American means much more than living in the United States is to be able to expand the beliefs one has. That is why people view the American Dream.
The United States as a country has always been an entity unique amongst the world’s myriad of nations: a conglomeration of cultures, ethnic groups and religious backgrounds from around the planet, all fused together to yield something entirely new. Since its very inception, those who dwell within its borders have attempted to ascertain the makeup of the American identity, in order to pin down how exactly one can come to be considered as an American themselves. This is inherently quite a subjective issue, but the conversation primarily boils down to three core factors that make the American people who they are: a dedication to preserving the natural rights of every human being, a belief in the importance of the individual in deciding their own
Being an American is more than just living in America, or being born in this country. Many people talk about being American’s and they aren't even in this country. Being an American is a way of life that people adapt into by seeing how we act. People all over the world eat the same things that we eat, so that can't really be a way of being an American. To me, being an American is embracing our ways of life, not fighting for the other guys, and loving our anthem and the flag.
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.
What does it mean to be an American? Ask any one of the 300 million Americans living in the United States and you are sure to get 300 million different answers. Being American is more than be a citizen of the country or having parents who are citizens. Being an American is more than waving a flag on the Fourth of July. Being an American is more than chanting USA USA USA during the Olympic Games. Although, these things are a part of the “American identity,” they are not the whole.
The Nineteen Sixties were a tumultuous time for the United States. John F. Kennedy had taken the reins of the country, later being succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson after his assassination, the University of Mississippi was desegregated, and the decade was witness to the March on Washington. This momentous time in history saw the rise and fall of several powerful men and women and was the dawn of The Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of those men who gave his life for what he believed in and was instrumental in helping to transform the U.S. into a nation that is truly the land of the free. It was in April of 1963 that King Jr. wrote one of his most eloquent pleas for racial justice, the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”,
Our founding fathers, historians, and regular people have worked hard, fought valiantly, and died to create the country that hundreds of millions of people live in today. People, like George Washington, helped to sculpt a brand new, unprecedented democracy that allows Americans to live freely and happily. When someone is lucky enough to be an American, it means that they are part of a country where they are free, where they have rights and responsibilities as US Citizens, and where they know when to be a leader and when to be a follower.
By the end of the reconstruction era the ‘American Identity’ has continued to change for many years. In the 1900’s the ‘American Identity’ was identified as a hard-working upper class white individual. These characteristics were considered the identity for America because during this era segregation was prominent, there was an influx of immigration from Europe, and the increase of education. All of these events and how the people reacted towards them influenced how this identity was molded and created.