What It Means to be an American Many people dream about being an American. They dream because they envision America as the land of peace and prosperity. But is it? At times it has been, and at times its not. It is hard for the United States to be correct all the time because they have been unwilling designated as the “World Police”. Throughout history there have been examples politically, economically, and socially, where being an American is rewarding and times where it is embarrassing. To be an American means progress. We evolved from a world ruled by white men to a world of equal opportunity. Politically the United States has had its ups and downs. The Watergate scandal could be considered a moment of disgust. On June 17, 1972 five men were caught breaking into the Watergate complex in Washington D.C., trying to photograph documents and place wiretaps on the telephones in the office. At that point the White House should have forced those people to resign but instead began to cover it up because Nixon relied so heavily on those workers. In the end Nixon was forced resign because the scandal was uncovered. That is a moment in which one would be embarrassed because it makes the United States look dishonest. But like most downs it has its ups. A time of honor was when President John F. Kennedy was inaugurated in 1961. People across the country loved this man and he had the ability to do great things, but unfortunatlly his reign was cut short. Another example was ...
The American Dream is a concept elegantly simple and yet peculiarly hard to define. At the root of it is the sense that America was created entirely separate from the Old World; the settlers had escaped from the feudal, fractious and somewhat ossified nations of Europe and been presented with a chance to start anew - "a fresh green breast of the new world." From this blank slate, those first idealistic settlers had created a society where "all men are created equal" and everyone had the chance to do the best for themselves as they could. Let us examine the passage from the Declaration of Independence from which that quote is taken:
What does it mean to be an American? Being an American is much more than the idea of freedom and money. Everyone has their own version of the American Dream as expressed by poets, musicians, and even authors. I believe the American Dream is still possible because it takes hard work and dedication to be able to achieve what you want. I also believe the American Dream is starting from the bottom and working your way up to something more, something better. Below are a few of America’s voices from the great melting pot.
The U.S.A... Bound by its motto as being a freedom-for-all nation; it has been labelled since the dawn of its colonial era as being a land of opportunity- giving us the understanding of the real "American Dream".
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
What makes an American an American? Is it the accent, the clothing, the fact that you
...r chance to come to America. With determination and hope too will come to America and became United States citizens. Realizing how hard people work to get freedoms and decent educations makes me realize how lucky I am to live in America. Freedom has allowed me to live without very many boundaries, while education gives me the chance to pursue my dreams and job choices. American Dreams are different for everyone but they all are important. “If you can dream it, you can achieve it” this quote perfectly defines the American Dream, because with hope, determination, and persistence we can achieve anything.
In conclusion, everyone has the chance for themselves to make their own definition what it means to be an American. Having the American Dream, otherwise being successful, you can choose how you view being American. As I have previously explained in this essay, I believe being American means that you are a proud patriot of your country and show some type of position in your country, having a voice in your country and using your liberties promised to you by the government. What is your definition of being an
What does it mean to be an American? In my eyes to be an American means to have privileges, rights, and freedom. America isn't perfect, but it is one of the only countries that have rights given to people of different diversities and gender. America does not have tremendous poverty. Instead we have choices given to us by the people who fought and died for the American people. Without George Washington and the other patriots who planted the first seed in the ground and help plant the American nation we live in now who knows what America would be like now.
(An in depth analysis into my personal views on what it means to be an American)
For me, the American Dream includes a feeling of pride in knowing I am free to live my life as I choose. It the sound of the fife and drum in the Fourth of July parade, which makes the heart of every American swell with pride. It is the Stars and Stripes of our flag. It’s the red, white and blue that are known around the world to represent a nation that keeps the light on until everyone is
What does it mean to be an American? Can this statement ever really be defined since America is a melting pot of different races, religions, political views, social views and so on and so fourth. To be an American can mean virtually anything and whether or not somebody supports national symbols is just another part of being and American. As Americans we have the right to disagree with the government, the right to protest against something unjust, the right to burn a flag in disgrace because after all we have freedom of speech. To some these things are un-American, but to others they are the reasons America is such a wonderful place to live. There is no definite answer to this question, but many different possibilities.
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.
To be a citizen of the United States is the one of the most gratifying experiences that any person could ever desire to have. It is a country that provides its inhabitants with the tools that they need to achieve their aspirations and meet the goals that they have set for their life. But what does it mean to truly be an American? Well, it is more than just loving apple pie and baseball. As citizens of this country, the government defends our basic rights and freedom to act as we wish, within reason, and ensures equality to all citizens, regardless of gender, race, religion, etc. In addition to these two important ideas, being an American is also about working together during times of struggle. Over the course of this country’s history,
America is built on the preconceived premise that all people have the right to work towards happiness. Americans over the years have tried to define what being an American truly means. An American can be defined as one with endless opportunities, pride in their country, and the chance for a future for oneself and their families.
The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. … but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the