Is America Falling Apart

As an American, I believe that the American spirit is what drives our country to be united. Being patriotic and standing together when times get tough, is what I think the American spirit is. When great disasters happen or tragedy hits, its the glue that holds us together and keeps us fighting as a country. Within this paper I will discuss three different authors points of views, on what they believe the American spirit is. The following authors are Anthony Burgress, Adam Goodheart, and Bonnie Miller Rubin. Each having different experiences and back story’s, that help them mold their own idea of what American spirit is.

In Anthony Burgess’s article “Is America Falling apart?”, he talks about America as a country that is in trouble. In the

Goodheart goes in to depth about how the word skyscraper came about, saying it started when The Duke of Bedford had a grooms that named his race horse skyscraper. Then word then went on to be used as a ships rigging (1794), A high hat or bonnet (1800), a tall person (1857), and then in 1860 to describe a towering fly ball and was soon integrated into describing something reaching the sky. In order to have built these buildings they had to have the right resources, such as cheap, high quality structural steel. Goodheart describes all the different inventions that had to come before the skyscraper, such as the elevator. When the elevator was first invented by Elisha Graves Otis in 1854, he would rise above crowds on an open platform of wrought iron. After he has ascended high enough he asks his assistant to cut the hoisting rope, instead of falling the platform settles into its ratcheted safety lock. The whole reason Elisha Graves Otis did this was to prove to the people that the elevator is safe, just like what Bradford Gilbert did. Gilbert built his Tower building at eleven stories high in 1888, and to prove that he trusted his building, he moved his office to the very top floor. These inventors knew that when you show faith in your own product and were willing to use it yourself it showed the consumer that you were trust worthy. Goodheart use’s these inventors as an example to get the idea of trust across to his readers, in this article. He believes in order to be in an airplane or skyscraper there is and unconscious trust within that person thats willingly stepping inside. Being able to trust the manufactures and designers with your fate. His idea of the American spirit I believe comes from the progression and advancements that our society makes, but also that the American spirit is full of trust. Without trust in the