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Being An American Essay

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Being an American can have different meanings for different people. For example, a teacher might say that being an American means to have the freedom of getting an education. An immigrant might say that being an American means that you are given an opportunity to flourish. Being an American includes all of these things, along with some other rights. Being an American means having freedom as a citizen, and being able to have diversity. These two main parts of being an American not only contribute to keep America safe from oppression, but also so that anyone can freely express themselves, without having to worry about anyone. However, some might say that America needs to be restored to it’s old form. If America was restored, then not only would …show more content…

To start off, being an American means that anyone can be unique and made up of different cultures and not be persecuted. In the speech “Address on the occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty”, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the President talks about how America welcomes diverse cultures and people. “We take satisfaction in the thought that those who have left their native land to join us may still retain here their affection for some things left behind--old customs, old language, old friends”(Roosevelt,10). This shows that America is not trying to change one’s way of life, but is actually encouraging them to express themselves. Along with this, Americans are able to express their religion and identity without government involvement. In the Bill of Rights, by James Madison, the first Amendment states the freedom of religion, along with other rights. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”(James Madison, 49). With this example, readers can figure out that Americans have always approved of diversity, even when the country was made. Being diverse can be classified as a part of many different Americans that is accepted without argument. Along with diversity, being an American means having

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