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Essays on diversity and inclusion
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What is an American? In St. Jean de Crevecoeur “What is an American?’ he defines what he feels like makes an American an American. Although I do agree with some of the things that Jean de Crevecoeur says I do not see eye to eye with all of them. He states that an American is someone that has no home land and is poor. “Everything has tended to regenerate them: new laws, a new mode of living, a new social system; here they are become men:” I do not think that this is what makes up an American because I think that individuals need to have pride in America. People need to want what's best for America, and act on that. America is a place where people come for a better life, but just being here will never make you an American. St. Jean de Crevecoeur also says that America is like a melting pot, individuals come from all over the world to be an American. I do concur with this statement because I believe that …show more content…
de Crevecoeur says is “Wives and children, who before in vain demanded of him a morsel of bread, now, fat and frolicsome…” America takes care of anyone that steps onto her land. I believe this with all of my heart. American’s take care of each other you see things all over the news about someone who has been kind to another person that has been less fortunate. Individuals take time out of their day to do things like charity drives, or to go buy a meal for a homeless person on the street corner. America has kindness like no other! There will always be someone to help you here. In conclusion I think that St. de Crevecoeur was a very wise person. Although I don’t agree with him that anyone can be an American, I do think that America is not racist against anyone because of the color of their skin or background. We care about people, and just like St. de Crevecoeur's said we don’t let our people go hungry. America is a wonderful country and even though it might not be exactly the same as it was two centuries ago it is still pretty
Michel-Guillaume-Jean de Crevecoeur was a French born citizen who moved to New York and became a naturalized citizen of Great Britain. After living in America as a citizen for a while, Crevecoeur decided to write an essay titled “Letters from an American Farmer”. During this time, tensions in America between the colonists and loyalists were increasing, and because of this the idea of America as a sovereign nation and territory was becoming popular. Crevecoeur wrote this essay in order to discuss what it means to be an American, and why people should be honored to be called an American. Crevecoeur believes that America is a melting pot of the world, and is full of opportunities for anyone who lives there. In order to back up his claim, Crevecoeur uses rhetorical devices, especially pathos, while he does also use ethos and logos as well.
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
John Locke’s philosophy of the “tabula rasa” is the idea that we as humans are born with a mind that is a blank slate and therefor all knowledge that comes to us is from our experiences from the outside world. Specifically, through the five senses. Locke’s philosophy is a present theme in St. Jean De Crevecoeur’s novel, What is an American? Crevecoeur’s writings include his ideas on race and life in America. He explains the difference between Europe and this new land, America. For example, the difference in wealth, the economy, freedom, behaviors, religion, and relationships with nature. It is stated in the textbook that Crevecoeur "subscribed in some degree to Rousseau’s idealization of natural man as inherently good when free and subject
With America being as diverse as it is, people would think everyone is united, but is that completely true? Thomas Paine shows his view of America as being a harmonious country with no problems. Even though over the years America has become a lot more diverse, that does not signify, all of the sudden, we have become a problem-free nation, comparable to what Thomas Paine thinks. Every nation has difficulties, and that includes America. America is nowhere close to being a perfect nation, but some nations have a lot more conflicts than America; and we have been trying, over the years, to become closer as a stronger country. Even with diversity growing in America, supporting Paine's argument, the United States is not a complete, harmonious nation,
States. Everyone had to prove that they were independent, capable, and willing to integrate into the cultural melting pot with its own identity of hard work, grit, and determination, which established and fostered success in American society. However, not everyone who chooses to take the adventure and risk associated with becoming American wishes to share in this identity. Many feel it necessary to shun the American identity and observe it with a level of disdain, disregarding the reasons themselves or previous generations may have immigrated to America for.
Founded by groups as diverse as indigenous Native Americans, Dutch merchants, English separatists, Spanish missionaries, French frontiersman and Africans – both free and enslaved – the country’s diversity stretches back four centuries” (9). America is an extraordinary country. In my opinion, America is the most diverse population and culture. However, exceptional does not necessarily mean better. I have never understood that some Americans have the mindset that they are ‘better’ than other countries. I generally like America, but that is enough for me. I don 't need it to be "better" than other places to be satisfied. I came here to have a better life, better education and to have a better home. However, if American history were full of lies they should make a wise action and should tell the truth and tell what really happened in the past. In my mind today is “Where do we find truth these days?” It is certainly not in the history a state teaches its children, or in the press that props up its leaders. Africans both free and enslaved and immigrants has freedom I just hope that, people of color and Americans have real unity and still respect each other in the future
Another piece of evidence, which was composed in the 1770’s, can be seen in the Letters from an American Farmer by Hector St. John Crèvecoeur. The narrator in this letter says that he “could point out to you a family whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman” (H). This quote shows that people were creating a new race, which in return, brings unification amongst different nationalities in colonial America.
Who exactly classifies as an “American”? To some, those whose family originates from the colonizers during the 1700s comes into mind. These consist of the British who did not agree with their King, the Irish who wanted to escape famine, and other Euro...
“I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.”
A Path to Citizenship “What makes someone American isn’t just blood or birth but allegiance to our founding principles and faith in the idea that anyone from anywhere can write the next chapter of our story.” - President Barack Obama. The United States is the melting pot of the world. The great American country was built on immigration. Look around, so many people have ancestors that risked everything to come to the United States to make something of their lives, and the lives of their children.
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
The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the American Republic. The men who do not become Americans and nothing else are hyphenated Americans; and there ought to be no room for them in this country. The man who calls himself an American citizen and who yet shows by his actions that he is primarily the citizen of a foreign land, plays a thoroughly mischievous part in the life of our body politic. He has no place here; and the sooner he returns to the land to which he feels his real heart-allegiance, the better it will be for every good American. There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.
What is an American these ideas are fully expressed from the start as Crevecoeur states, “a modern society offers itself to his contemplation, different from what had hitherto seen.” (605), thus showing that America is a new land never seen before that is worthy of contemplation and admiration. This belief shows the idea of a better place free of old European social divides and stratification and the promise of a better place. Crevecoeur further expands on this going as far as to call America an asylum, a true place of recovery and safety, for European immigrants and their descendants. These early ideas bring forth the foundation for modern beliefs of moral superiority and thus the right for the United States to encourage and push their own ideals upon others. This supremacy is explicitly expressed by the author as seen in, “we are the most perfect society now existing in the world.” (Crevecoeur 606), and displays “James” view that America is indeed better than other cultures and should be treated as such. It is important to note however that the idea of moral superiority does not only come from a utopia of ideas and freedom, but effort, hope, and the ability to push forward in the face of
In “What is an American” by Hector St John de Crevecoeur, the writer described many notable differences that he discovered when he first arrived in America. He marveled at the many differences in structure, diversity, and the overall equality of this new land. Crevecoeur’s early America was much different than the land that he once knew. America gave him a sense of freedom, hope, and possibility. He wrote letters in hope to inspire all who were looking for a change in their lives, and who would be ready to contribute to the advancement of such a great land. America was more united, with every man working for themselves. There were no monarchies with Kings and Lords who contained all wealth while others suffered. Every