Being An American

What it Means to be an American 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

There are not many countries around the earth that not only give the people the right to any religion, but also the right to express themselves however they like. Especially allowing the people to say, write, think, and argue whatever they please, even about the government. Most governments forbid the bashing of the government or heads of government by the people. In several countries it is penalized by death. Again, to have a choice of what we say and write is what makes us American. Some governments put to death to those that actually express an opinion. So this is what it means to be an American. To have the freedom to speak what we 're thinking, to say what 's on our mind. To express our feelings and ideas and opinions without fear of punishment. The worst we could ever fear as an American who speaks their mind, is ridicule from peers. This is what it means to be an American; to have the privilege and right granted to us to speak freely. To be able to have our own opinions and speak our mind is one of the huge keys to opening the door to being an

These attitudes and feelings and ideas and goals are all derived from generations ago, from many different cultures that all banded together. It was all the people that moved from every other country to America that made America, America essentially. Each and every culture and religion and peoples made us America today. These different cultures and ideas all came together and formed the American mindset. The idea that everyone has a shot and prosperity and success no matter your class or race or birth. The idea that hard work can accomplish anything. Everyone has the same equal rights, and same equal chances to do great things. A person just has to put the sweat and tears into it. This 'American dream ' so to say, is rooted deeply in our Declaration of Independence, "that all men are created equal" and are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights that included Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This mindset that everyone has the right to their own rights, and they can succeed and prosper no matter their race or class, is what makes an American. To make dreams and goals and go out and achieve them with hard work is what makes an American. This is an American