National Identity In America

America is often referred to as “The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave”. It is a country with a long and wonderful history of making your own way, deciding who to be and being that person. Sometimes that desire comes with challenges which is why it is also a rich history of fighting for an endpoint and being willing to work for it despite the hardships encountered. In a country where national identity means so much - it can be developed however one wants it to be, if the individuals are willing to add a little work and get it done. It is also about preserving one’s past and learning from it while using it to shape the future. The pilgrims that came over on the Mayflower in 1620 are the perfect example of making a national identity

The Separatists were looking for a place where they would be allowed to have religious freedoms, they wished to worship and follow the Bible as they saw fit. However, the King of England was not okay with this and they faced treason if they did not change their ways. The people originally settled in Holland but decided that they did not want their identities or their children’s identities to be washed away. The pilgrims wanted a place that they could make their home, somewhere where they could be themselves and be entitled to their religious freedoms. This whole idea is national identity, instead of taking the easy road and staying in Holland, they decided to travel and start over. 
 
 The same idea applies to immigrants who are still coming over today. While some may wish to change their identities and start over somewhere new, there are many like the pilgrims. They are facing oppression and persecution in their home countries for a variety of reasons. America is the promised land, lives can be started over and lived not in fear. Many immigrants wish to be “American” and be a part of this country, but many still hold onto their heritage and their past. This is important in creating a national identity, America is all about starting over and making a new life but it is also about not forgetting where one has come from, where one’s roots are. If the pilgrims had forgotten their roots and where they came from and why they came, they would have not created the Mayflower Compact or the treaty with the Native Americans. If they had not remembered their roots they may have not wanted to shape America into what it is today. They would have had no reasons to make this place better than where they were if they did not carry their past with them, as part of them. The fact that they faced