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American exceptionalism ideologies and character
American exceptionalism ideologies and character
American exceptionalism ideologies and character
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In a country where all seems to be declining, many would say that hope for America’s future, isn’t prevalent. When there are times of despair in our history, America finds a small glimpse of light just around the corner. Helen Keller said “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence”. When our nation seems hopeless at times, we seem to pull out hope from nowhere, and that's why American history is my hope for my future. When hope could be but nowhere seen, America in the past, brought hope back into the hearts of the people. Looking back at American history there were a few times hope needed to be rekindled. Independence day was America’s happiest moment, and World War II showed us how to give hope to other nations in …show more content…
On July 4, 1776 we as a nation proclaimed that we weren’t one with England anymore. Before American independence America belonged with England, and were British Colonies. America just couldn’t get along with England; the biggest argument leading to taxes. America couldn’t stand being under the “foot” of England anymore and fought for their independence. American history is my hope for the future. My hope for America is that we retain not letting ourselves be under the control of others. America is an independent nation and in the future, my hope is we remain one nation. Yet, we still stay steadfast to our beliefs the biggest being E Pluribus Unum (Out of many, one). America has had great military influence.
Our American soldiers have always fought for not only our rights but the freedom of others. In World War II, The United Kingdom was in war with Nazi Germany. When the British
The idea of independence from Great Britain, it is something that is so commonplace a thing that I think very little of it on a day-to-day basis, but there was once a time when it was not so common, there was even a time when many thought the idea of fighting for independence was a foolhardy or reckless move and we were better off under the rule of Great Britain. This was not necessarily an incorrect way of thinking as Great Britain had provided the colonies with resources that would have taken far longer to develop for themselves. In 1776, Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense a pamphlet that encouraged this new way of thinking and urged the people of the thirteen colonies to fight for their independence from Great Britain, as their help was now seeming to become a hindrance.
People were finally serious about breaking away from the British and wanted their independence. In 1776 they decided to write the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson was the main writer of this declaration which established the United States as a nation. After the Continental Congress approved The Declaration of Independence, it was official. Though the British refused to recognize The United States as a nation, the United States were fighting for their freedom and independence. They no longer wanted the British controlling them.
America’s pavement of growth throughout history to today’s present day has changed immensely, and we the people are responsible for its shape and development. We all are America’s history; we are the endless cycle of the ruins and rebirths, and the sum of the good and the bad that have occurred. We are the narrators of the vast and small achievements that have molded our civilization. Our sums or products help guide our actions for the present. History simply repeats itself; if we do not learn from our mistakes, then we are bound to create them again. Throughout America’s growth, there were two different men almost two hundred years apart in which history had obeyed, and they still serve as an inspiration for today’s nation, Thomas Paine and Martin Luther King Jr. They both were an important voice for America during their time periods, and helped guide everyone to achieve their own version of America’s dream. Despite the time periods and slight differences about their goals and dreams,
In 1775, the American colonists were faced with a question that would lead to everlasting consequences on their newly developing nation. Due to the several unjust taxes Great Britain had forced them to pay, colonial America was torn into two. Those who sided with Great Britain became known as loyalists; however, those believed the colonies should declare independence became known as the patriots. Patrick Henry, a passionate American patriot, advocates to declare war upon the tyrannical nation of Great Britain in the speech “Speech in the Virginia Convention” that he delivers to the delegates at the Virginia Convention. Patrick Henry’s purpose in writing this speech is to inform the delegates that war with Great Britain is necessary and to encourage
hold them, …, Enemies in War…” (Jefferson 772). The argument has reached its climax, Thomas Jefferson, using pathos, clearly stated that they (the colonists) have tried to solve this problem in peace, but in the end, it matters not, as the colonists have satisfied all of their (Great Britain) demands, and tried to appeal to their “native justice and magnanimity”, but still the Britain remained “deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity”. Therefore, they shall declare their independence as the “United Colonies, [and]...FREE AND INDEPENDENCE STATES” (Jefferson 772) and they shall protect it with “our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor” (Jefferson 773).
In George Washington’s Farewell Address, he made a few main points. Some of the main points he stated were that there was a "need for national unity", an "independence from foreign countries", together this was "unity at home and independence abroad”. The paradox of the American Revolution relates to this because Americans fought for freedom but still owned
...arliament, caused the colonies to become more and more independent throughout the eighteenth century. Yet the colonists wanted to exhaust every remedy to their grievances before resorting to war. Declaring independence was never going to be a swift process, as each colony progressed at a different rate. Nonetheless, forming a colonial army at the same time as attempting to negotiate peaceful conciliation with the British was not at first a popular decision, yet to many the benefits outweighed the possible losses. In the end, the rejection of the Olive branch represented a watershed in the evolution of a national identity that was completely independent of a British identity, for its dismissal stiffened the patriots’ resolve toward independence and paved the way for the penning of a much more famous letter to the king, the Declaration of Independence.
With the widespread of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, American independence gained extensive support. As Paine insisted, “membership in the British empire was a burden to the colonies, not a gift.” Finally, on July 2, 1776, the Congress declared the United States as an independent nation, and America soon gained international recognition.
Regardless of whether the Era of Good Feelings was accurately labeled or not, it indeed built a foundation for America to fulfill its future triumphs and potential.
There are many events that have happened in our history that have helped shape our country into what it is today. One of those events that helped change our country was the Decleration of Independance. The Declaration of Independence was written on July 4th, 1776. And this document was written so we were separate from England and so we weren’t under their power anymore. It meant that we were going to become a self-governing country. This was the very first big step we took to become our own country. And if we hadn’t have separated from England we wouldn’t be the country we are today. This helped build our nation and bring us closer together so we were united as one. This is when we realized we could be something bigger than what we were.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson appeals to patriotism. Jefferson ensures this by persuading the colonists to become self-governing. He tries to let all of the people of the New World understand that they have protested and defended themselves against the British for all of the corrupt acts the British have committed upon the colonists. Jefferson’s tone in the Declaration of Independence portrays how tiresome he has grown of the British rule after all of the deception towards Americans. Included within the idea of patriotism, is the idea of loyalty to the fundamental values and principles underlying American democracy. Thomas Paine also provides patriotism to get advocates for the movement to separate from the British forces. Correspondingly, Paine persuades Americans that they will prosper in numerous areas without the control of the British saying, “Is the power who is jealous of our prosperity, a proper power to govern us? Whoever says No to this question is an independent, for independency means no more, than, whether we shall make our own laws…” (Paine). Paine uses a demanding tone to convince Americans that if they should accept the ties with Britain, it will bring ruin and distress to the
Carnes, Mark C., and John A. Garraty. American Destiny: Narrative of a Nation. New York: Penguin Academics, 2006.
Bob Herbert, columnist and professor of journalism, wrote about the current condition of America in “A Fire in the Basement,” an introduction to a collection of his editorials, Promises Betrayed: Waking up from the American Dream (2005). The “fire” he is referring to, is the idea that America is falling apart from the inside out, and we aren’t even aware of it. He suggests that our current state as a world power is in decline, and it’s not the terrorists we should be worried about. Rather, he gives examples showing that this decline will be the result of the growing inequality, irrationality, and the loss of hope within our nation. He states, “It’s not that life in America was better in the 1960’s. It wasn’t. But it seemed to be moving in a better direction” (396). In other words, we’ve lost a crucial part to what made us a great nation in the first place. If we don’t recover this hope and can-do spirit soon, we may be headed for a supporting role on the world stage.
In the world, hope can be something that is gained and then lost in a moment. During the years of 1865-1877, Congressmen tried to distribute hope to African Americans by passing Amendments, but Southerners attempted to strip them of their rights and ultimately their hope by finding loopholes. Reconstruction was a relationship between the US Government and the South because the Government passes amendments that the South has to follow and when the South finds loopholes around them, the Government and South push against each other. This is like a relationship between a father and son because like the Government, the father makes rules that the son, like the South, has to follow and when the son does not follow them, the father and son push against
In conclusion, without struggle and without sacrifice this country would not have gained the independence and prove that united we stand and divide we fall. Thomas Paine quite elegantly put it “however strange it may appear to some, or however unwilling they may be to think so, matters not, but many strong and striking reasons may be given to shew, that nothing can settle our affairs so expeditiously as an open and determined declaration of independence” (Paine 111).