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What shapes the american identity essay
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The definition of an American, is someone who is a citizen of the United States. Many African Americans, and immigrants struggled to become actual Americans in their lifetimes, because others didn 't see them as actual people; and based it on the color of someone. In today 's world people who live in America consider themselves as Americans, but to me there is certain qualities that make a person an American. To me being a true American is not based off of what Country they were born in, or what race their parents are, or even if they were immigrated to the United States. People from all over the world would say that maybe people could base this off of someone 's family heritage, or where they were before they came to America. If you were asked what makes an American an American what would you base it off of? To me there are four specific characteristics that make a person a true American; those three things would be, freedom, individuality, belief in the country, and happiness. …show more content…
Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. In America there is numerous of choices that someone may make on a daily basis. If someone were allowed to make their own choices and were being told what to do; then they would not be free. When someone is allowed to speak when they want to, and say what they want; such as their opinion or view of something. Being allowed to have a right to speak is one of the most important characteristics of being an American. Thinking and stating your opinion in any predicament it a strong part in being a citizen because people in the United States are known for being able to think in their own ways. Freedom can stretch too many things such as being able to do as they please, they are not forced into doing anything that someone may want. The citizens of the United States are not made to do anything that one may not want to do; like
Throughout history, Americans have sought to spread the spirit of equality, which is believed to be the realization of true freedom. Before establishing this freedom, every American had only one question stuck in their head: What is freedom? Our country received it in the year of 1776 from the British through a series of difficulties and wars. African Americans defined it as an escape from slavery, while immigrants defined it as their acceptance into a new society. More yet, women of the women’s suffrage defined their freedom as their recognition into society and for their rights to be equal to that of every other man. These different perceptions of cultures/groups in America tied together to form an American view of freedom. Freedom is something that every American should be willing to do anything in order to maintain. We may have weapons of mass destruction, but when it comes to living in a peaceful, American lifestyle, our freedom is our greatest weapon.
God has given us as human beings free will. Although if we make choices based on our own free will we must be willing to take the responsibility for the effects that our decisions have on ourselves, on the people around us, and on society itself. Freedom, I believe, is the way in which people live or behave without others annoying or interfering in his or her affairs. People should benefit from freedom, equality and justice. Absolute freedom is sometimes very dangerous and may destroy the basic principles of the society. A lot of people believe that freedom means doing whatever you want, whenever you want.
Freedom. This influential idea has lead many of people march to demand their freedoms. Whether that freedom be from Great Britain or slaves owners, many of American’s have marched for their rights. What is the definition of freedom? Freedom is defined as the power to act, speak, or think as one wants without opposition. Freedom is a part part of American culture. Some may even say that America’s very foundations were built off of freedom and the right to do as we wish with our lives. In the eighteen hundreds American Colonists were feeling the pressures of the British that would soon lead the the Revolutionary War and our freedom. Some people might consider this idea of freedom as radical and possibly way ahead of it’s time back then. But it
Americans can cherish their freedom of expression and are part of a diverse culture. An American is someone who would embrace freedom and liberty. Overall, to be an American, it is crucial to embrace the culture and become a part of it disregarding where you were born.
What makes an American an American? Is it the accent, the clothing, the fact that you
The notion of freedom can mean different things to different people, it all depends on the level of freedom you have over your own life. It could be freedom of speech, religious freedom, freedom of the press or even freedom of economy. However you see it they all seem to describe a sense of personal freedom, which no doubt everybody wants, but only some seem to have. No other democratic society in the world allows personal freedoms to the degree of the United States of America. They have been able to establish a set of legal rules that systematically protects all forms of freedom. Freedom remains the lone basis for American society as we know it. Without freedom the great nation of America would have never been created. Just as how the United States is seen by the American population to symbolise freedom and independence, it also stands to mean the same thing to many other countries around the world. Having your own freedom and the ability to exercise your rights in your own country, is something that is synonymous with the Unites States.
Around the world, being American means many different things ranging from ignorant to arrogant. However, in America we have our own ideas of what it means to be American. There are three values that make any person American: freedom, opportunity, and equality.
According to Dictionary.com freedom means “the state of being uncontrolled by another, or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint.” Freedom. What does freedom mean to you? Even though freedom means the state of being uncontrolled by another, or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint, I believe that freedom means being able to accomplish what you desire and when you desire it without anyone saying anything, by reason of the comparison and contrast of our society and the society in the book Anthem by Ayn Rand, the negation of the word freedom, and synonyms of the word freedom. I believe that you should accept the consequences of the actions you take when you have your “freedom” as well.
Freedom to me is the right to do what you want to do only if it's not breaking the law. This includes the right to bear arms, freedom of speech, not being forced to join the military ( unless you get drafted). Freedom is also the people in the united states, What i mean by that is people have rights many rights that makes them a part of freedom too. With freedom there are many responsibilities too. One of the biggest responsibilities is the right to bear arms. This is probably one of the biggest responsibilities because you screw up once with guns you can be banned for a period of time or you can be banned for life if you do something really horrible even if it was not on purpose. another big responsibility law is driving, if you get over the speed limit and you caught you can get fined
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.
Freedom is having the right to own, act, think, and speak without any restrictions from the outside. Ever since the New World was discovered, people have been fighting for their independence till this day. People of other colors and race have been forced to do labor without their consent. Today, those same people have been blamed or accused of crimes that were not committed by them despite of being free. Freedom has different meanings and those meanings change overtime; however sometimes the significance of freedom does not change.
Throughout history freedom has had many different meanings and definitions; based on race, gender, and ethnicity. According to the dictionary freedom means the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint (“freedom” def. 1). Freedom may seem like something given to everyone however it was something workers had to fight for. Not everyone believed that workers’ rights needed to be changed, which led to a long battle between workers, employers and the government. To the working class people freedom meant making higher wages, having regulated hours, workable conditions and the right to free speech.
Perhaps the most exclusive aspect of American freedom is stated directly in the Declaration of Independence. It states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (Jefferson). This well-known statement truly incorporates all facets of what it means to be free in America. The citizens of this country have the right to live. They have the right to be free of restriction and control, to do what they please. And they have the right to be happy in whatever way that might be. These rights are...
Assuming I have just pissed off every American that reads this, let us first look at what the word “freedom” actually means. My personal idea of freedom is the ability to be myself, think for myself, and act as I wish without being forced to do so. If you type the word freedom into the Google search engine, it defines freedom as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint”(http://www.google.com/ search?client=safari&rls=en&q=freedom&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8). Those two definitions are pretty similar to one another. To give a different perspective, B.F. Skinner (1971), a behavioral psychologist, explains that freedom represents either the act of escaping an unwanted stimulus, or avoiding an unwanted stimulus. For example, after lying on a beach on a sunny day you realize that you are getting extremely sun burnt, so you decide to leave the beach and get some shade or possibly sunscreen, this is the example of escaping from the sun...
The constitution of the United States of America gives me the right to freedom because I am a United States citizen. I consider "freedom" to be my right to express myself in any way I choose. Freedom is defined as "having liberty of action or thought, independent". "Self-governed or not controlled by an outside party" is another definition of freedom. Freedom has a different meaning to each individual thus making it hard to find a clear concise definition.