In 1776, the founding fathers of the United States of America declared that, as Americans, we have the right to three things; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Not just that, but our Pledge of Allegiance states “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. Though we learn about the idea of those words, do we ever stop and think about what they mean? What it means to be an American? Life. The four letter word that can mean so much. Almost every day we’re asked what we want to do with our life. But that’s just it; we are asked, not told. To be an American it means you’re free to make something out of yourself. In other countries, elders may take your life and run it as if it were their own. You’re told who to marry, where to work, what to wear. Not for Americans. As Rodney Atkins once said in his song Its America, “It’s a kid with a chance, it’s a rock ‘n roll band, it’s a farmer cutting hay.” There is nobody in your life that can tell you what you do or do not want to do. The only person that can make that decision is you. Everyone can do great things. Everyone has a chance. …show more content…
A different state, country, or town? In other places, some people may only be able to live in one area for the rest of their life. In America, you have the liberty, or free will, to move. No one can tell you “hey, you can’t move to California. Queen Krum said you have to stay here as long as you’re alive.” Only you have the ability to decide that for yourself. You have the freedom to believe in what you want, do as you wish, and be who you want to be. Thanks to our liberty, women are allowed to show their faces, and children have an education. There is food on our tables and shoes on our
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.
America has always been known as the land of the free, living in America you’re always taught on the idea of living the “American Dream”. That means the chance of being whoever you want to become, deciding the route you want to go in life to live. To most that also means to have a family to take care of and also to have a stable career, own a house, car and more. The part of the dream they don't stress you about enough is that it's not easy to achieve. It takes a lot of hard work in which a lot of people don't achieve unfortunately.
Overall, to be an American is to be united. We all work hard to ensure our future and support each other so we can be stronger. The founding fathers created this indestructible and predominate nation so that we all may be free, live jubilantly, and last but not least, stick together and we can all be joint under the classic red, white, and blue flag. After all, The United States of America was named that for a
In the United States' Declaration of Independence the founding fathers stated: "…held certain 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."
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.
An example of literature to have the opportunity to move on is What is an American? by Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur. In this text, it talks about the difference of the new land and Europe land. That in their new land, there opportunity for employment. In the new land they are free from their oppression and leave behind the old life. Crevecoeur reveals, “Here they are become men; in Europe they were as so many useless plants” (Crevecoeur 291). Thus, here in the new land, they view as useful not as in their home where they were viewed as useless. This tells that to be an American is to look for one 's happiness. Here they have the opportunity to grow. In this new land, they learn to grow and become better than yesterday. As Crevecoeur states, “The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must; therefore, entertain new ideas, and form new opinions” (Crevecoeur 290). Moreover, he is referring to all people who come here are diverse. When it uses “new man” it means to be more than they were. To be able to see more than before. To move on they have to have an open mind to progress. This show how to be an American is more in living there, but to move on and adapt the new environment. To be an American is to be able to leave everything behind and form a new way of life also a new way to view
To do what makes oneself happy. The American Dream is represented in many different ways and every person lives and chases a different version of the American Dream. Chris McCandless lived his American dream by walking alone into the wilderness of Alaska. The song written by Toby Keith, “American Soldier”, shows the price some pay for their dreams and ours to come true. Jay Gatsby died trying to acheive his dream and get the girl he loved, but died happy because he had pursued her until his death. The band All Time Low wrote a song called “The Reckless and The Brave” that brings a new light to how we go about achieving our dreams. So I believe that the American Dream is all about doing what will make you the happiest in the end.
The American Dream is the belief that anybody can achieve anything in life. America is known as the country of opportunity regardless of race, gender or nationality. The land of opportunity and equality rights and liberty. The American Dream is to be successful no matter what social class an individual belongs to. The opportunity for upward mobility through hard work leads to a successful life. Individuals in society often strive to obtain many resources that are important. The structure of the economy is typically related to education, occupation, housing, and health care which are not distributed equally to enable an individual to achieve equal opportunity some will have to go through hardship in order to obtain it. The lack of social mobility makes the
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.
What does it mean to be able to live in America? What does America mean to you? Many people have different thoughts when someone asks the question, what does America mean to you. America has several meanings, but when I think of America I think of freedom, religion, and our founding fathers. There are many other words to describe America, the words I choose is what I think is most important about America. In this essay I am showing what America means to me. These are all the words that come into my mind when someone says America.
Everyday students begin their day by listening to the Pledge of Allegiance. Some may speak the words, but do the people really understand what is being said? “One nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. The nation claims, as one, it ensures “liberty and justice for all”. However, the treatment towards certain groups, and the “extent” of liberty given to the people is limited. Thus, revealing America does not guarantee equal rights for all its citizens.
Since this great country was first established many intuitive minds have tried to answer the question; "What is an American". This country is full of individuals of many backgrounds, and diversities and each person has a different opinion on this question. In my opinion, an American is someone who values freedom and equality and pursues the "American dream." Every American exercises these rights and these are great adjectives to describe our country. Each of the seven readings, and the one image I compiled help mold this broader definition into a more precise description of an American.
Today is our first day of being the leaders, doers, and problem solvers of the future. Those who persevere, who give it their all and approach each day with optimism will ultimately meet success and happiness. Of course, there will be many a failure on that windy road of life, but with dedication, we can do anything and make any dream come true. But, as we grow older and encounter success, we must not forget those who have had it rough, whose lives may have hit some potholes on the way, and we must take care of those who need a helping hand. As each of us leaves our mark on the world, be generous and be happy, and always remember the good times, good friends, and lessons learned at Marefat.
I'll start off by asking a question, Are you from a family of immigrants. I’d like to think that the majority of people here are from a family of immigrants. You may or may not have been in tune with the news lately but it seems to me that the word immigrant is starting to have a negative connotation and it is being targeted towards the minorities of this country. Politics aside, I believe that every person regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, social status or sexual orientation is entitled to equal rights and an equal stance in this country. So going back to the word immigrant, why is this starting to have a bad connotation in today's day and age. This is just one of a plethora of examples of the obstacles we face as minorities.
Resolved to join the American way of life a large number of outsiders have ventured to this extraordinary land to have an existence based upon “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”