What is an American? 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 …show more content…
They wanted to pick jobs based on ability and merit, and not based upon orders from Dictators. Crevecoeur described a significant difference in religious freedom between his early America and Europe. The distinction was important because it allowed individuals to think for themselves in spiritual matters, develop genuine religious principles, and bring an end to persecution over religious pride. Crevecoeur explained that much different from Europe, Americans were allowed to worship privately in their own sect without being disturbed. He believed that if each group is worshipping in their own private sect, and worshipped according to their own beliefs, as long as they were lawful, industrious and peaceful there shouldn’t be interrupted. Crevecoeur didn’t give much detail as to how religion functioned in early Europe other than the fact that in America all religion demanded from his was 10% to the minister and gratitude to God. He explained that the Sunday congregation was filled with respectable farmers and their wives, and absent of haughty superiors and princes. It is to my assumption that in Europe church attendants had to pay large offerings to government officials. In the …show more content…
“Crevecoeur explained the tragedy it would be for two individuals with different religions to start a family and created generations upon generations of confusion”. Each family in early America marrying based on common religious beliefs, and teachings their children in the way of their beliefs, would create a stable home for children to grow in. In today’s Christian church this is a value we hold true to well. Setting genuine religious values and morals are very important in today’s world. Whether you choose to practice that religion or not, the core values that are indebted in you from your childhood follow you into adulthood. Having pure religious principles promotes a balanced and well-functioning home. “Thus religious indifference is imperceptibly disseminated from one end of the continent to the other; which is at present one of the strongest characteristics of the Americans”. With core religious values or even a lack thereof, families will be able to create a solid foundation of morals and values to be built
By 1763, although some colonies still maintained established churches, other colonies had accomplished a virtual revolution for religious toleration and separation of church and state. The Anglican Church was the only established denomination in England. In contrast, the colonies supported a great variety of churches. The largest were the Congregationalist, Anglican, and German churches, but many smaller denominations could be found through the colonies. In addition to this, a high percentage of Americans didn’t belong to any church. These differences could be attributed to the fact that many of the Europeans who immigrated to America didn’t fit in to or agree with the churches in their homelands.
With previous turmoil in Great Britain, the colonies in North America had flourished early on due to salutary neglect and developed characteristics which soon defined Americans. An eventual conflict leading up to the revolution would be the drastic contrast between Britain and its colonies. Britain, an Old World country, had for centuries held onto their way of living and prided themselves on being Englishmen hence when faced with the fact that their much "inferior" counterpart have became "either an European, or the descendant of an European" British authorities intervene and catalyst what soon to be the birth- or rather the formal introduction- of a new man; "He is an American from the new mode of life he has embraced ". This mode of life, recognizably the American way of life, was a land of opportunity and equality for all. There was no real social hierarchy, aristocrats were few, and because of human freedom sentiments (mainly founded in the outspoken Middle colonies) America was unlike anything known in Europe.
Religion is the name given to a “relationship with God, and different groups of people have different Gods and belief systems” (Terhart & Schulze, 2008). Today there are 313 religions and denominations in the United States; from monotheists who believe in one God, to polytheists who believe in many Gods, to others who believe in no God, or a God as represented by animal spirits, alien groups, or psychoactive substances (ProCon.org, 2008). Christianity was the first religion that was brought to the world by European settlers and it became dominant religion of the United States throughout its history. Although Puritan practices was accepted under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, both James I and Charles I believed that their authority had full power to enforce religious standards among their subjects and so they authorized the persecution of Puritans, who were challenging many of the most important rules of the English church. As a result, in the 1620s and 1630s a number of English Puritans decided to move to America, where they hoped to put their religious beliefs into practice unaffected by the Stuarts or the Church hierarchy. (Norton et al., 1986)
Today America is country where everything and everyone are unique and united and unique nation make a union. Thomas Paine, an intellectual from the 18th century, wrote a famous piece called the Rights of Man where he listed points in which hold partially true and untrue today. In a passage Paine specifically wrote that are held untrue today is that the poor and the rich are treated fairly and equally, that there are no riots nor tumults, and that taxes are low for everybody. The only two statements that Paine describes the United States correctly is that the government is just and different people make it hard to form a union. Paine is trying to interpret that the country is united and just in his time and that it will continue to be like that; if Paine somehow traveled into the future and saw what America is today he might would 've not have written that passage since today there a things in America that are extremely different compared to the late 18th century.
This supports Lipset’s claim of egalitarianism being one of the key components of American ideology as he gives a specific historical example of how the United States differed from the majority of other powerful nations at the time because these nations had very established social structures going back hundreds of years. While the United States was a new nation isolated from these other monarchial cultures, and that allowed America to mold its own unique independent path. This supports Lipset’s point of view concerning America being an exceptional nation as the country’s birth
The church and Christian beliefs had a very large impact on the Puritan religion and lifestyle. According to discovery education, “Church was the cornerstone of the mainly Puritan society of the 17th century.”( Douglas 4). Puritan laws were intensively rigid and people in society were expected to follow a moral strict code. And because of Puritans and their strict moral codes, any act that was considered to go against this code was considered a sin and deserved to be punished. In Puritan theology, God h...
We’ll start with the Puritans, who paved the way for religion in America considering they were some of the first British settlers in America. They moved here because they wanted to develop the church their way, and what better way to do that than to move to a new country. Their population was made up of English reformed protestants who wanted a different way of religion, this
Crèvecoeur depicts Americans as though they are a new race or sub-set of people formed from European descent. He mentions, “they are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans and Swedes. From this promiscuous breed, that race now called Americans have arisen” (310-311). Although the American character is founded on liberty, industry, independence, and happiness, Crèvecoeur mentions how extraordinary the diversity is among Americans. Although many Americans came from different customs, traditions, and governments, Crèvecoeur suggests their ability to unite on relatively new ideologies distinguishes them as a nation. Also, adopting the customs of America and rendering an individual's previous traditions, seems to be the product of the high-risk, high-hope behavior distinctive to Americans. He defines, “he is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds” (312). Incorporating new doctrines, governments, and hierarchies the American character develops with the growth of the nation. This becomes exclusive to American identity because it is relatively new as is the American nation and culture. While Americans are unified by similar ideas, and those ideas
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.
The United States of America has a reputation as a beacon of freedom and diversity from the colonial period of its history. From the beginning, however, Americans' freedoms were tied to a mixture of religious and ethnic affiliations that privileged some inhabitants of North America over others. Although European ideas of liberty set the tone for what was possible, those liberties looked somewhat different in colonial North America, where indigenous and African peoples and cultures also had some influence. The result was greater freedom for some and unprecedented slavery and dispossession for others, making colonial America a society of greater diversity—for better and for worse—than Europe.
Crèvecœur describes the conditions of America where a person’s home reflected their work ethic, and even then the houses did not contrast in their appearance or reflection of wealth. If Crèvecœur were to stroll down the streets of America today he might be appalled by what he sees. If he walked down in the right area he might see a large mansion, and then just a few paces later see tiny apartments in pitiful condition, or perhaps he would see a small bakery being demolished to give way to a corporate manufacturing plant. Crèvecœur would certainly be disappointed in Americans. Crèvecœur also raved about how being American is being diverse and embracing diversity. Separate and Unequal a documentary by Frontline describes a situation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where the city plans to break into two smaller cities, the proponents of this break off are white middle class people, claiming the lower class and African American families are ruining their schools and area. This new city would be 70% white and middle class. This is not diversity. Crevecoeur a man who struggled to describe his joy
Not knowing all of the details of the speech “What is an American” by Harold Ickes, it was hard to understand what was going on. To fully comprehend the speech more information would be needed. Only knowing the general time period tells the reader that it was during World War II but that is it. If an exact date was given then I could have been able to figure out what else was going on and connected the speech with that.
In Crevecouer’s, “What is an American” speech he defines America as a democracy where every man has a say in the government; “We have no princes, for whom we toil, starve, and bleed.” It is clear, through his speech, that Crevecouer feels as if the American Dream has not changed. He stills views America as the land of equality and freedom. He sees America as the land where the rich, the poor, homosexuals, bisexuals, blacks, whites, and Hispanics all live in harmony. But today, it is obvious to see that the “glimmer” of the utopian American society is not what it seems.
Being from the South, church is implemented into our minds almost as soon as we come out of the womb. Family is the main reason that we are the religion that we are. Personally, I am a Christian of the Baptist denomination, and a pastor at my church. I believe family is one of the main reasons I am religious today. Nobody has a greater influence on us than our families and my family has had one of the greatest religious influences on my life. In the article it talks about the impact that family has on religion, and my family has had a huge impact on my religion.
When the colonists came to America they brought with them their culture and the way they educated their children reflected that. The first colonists were very religious people and their curriculum was very faith-based. It complimented the instruction they received at church and home. As immigrants flooded into the country, life changed dramatically. As the population spread west, the typical family and social dynamics rapidly changed. People became widely dispersed, and the church’s authority and influence was no longer as important. People soon realized the way they were used to educating their children needed to adapt to their new way of life.