What Makes An American Essay

What makes someone an American? This is a question that has so many answers because so many people have different views on Americanism. One person might claim you have to be born in America, some might say you have to be raised in it. While they are not necessarily wrong, others will have a different idea. Some people view Americanism as an attitude, not a nationality. It is how you present yourself to others and to the world. They believe Americanism is based on the American people, not the American land. To them, being an American is about understanding their values and ethics and going along with them.

That day is know know as the 4th of July which is of course a national holiday. Millions of Americans across the world celebrate that special day everyday by wearing the countries colors and also throwing parties such as cook outs. That is in fact another similarity, both countries in fact celebrate their countries by throwing parties and spending time with their friends and families so they won 't have to think about the horrid things their country had to experience and go through while another country was in power of there very own

Albert Einstein - “I came to America because of the great, great freedom which I heard existed in this country. I made a mistake in selecting America as a land of freedom, a mistake I cannot repair in the balance of my lifetime.” Some think American is grim, some believe America is glorious, some say it’s corrupt, and others will say it’s a mistake. However, in reality, America is whatever it wants to be. In America you can be whoever you want to be! We can be nice, we can be mean, we can be annoying, we can be fat, we can be racists, and we can be nuts! In America we can be and do whatever we please. We have freedom to express our feelings and just be ourselves. We have education for all and food for the plenty. We get the opportunity to have whatever job we want as long as we work hard enough. In America we are the land of the free and the home of the brave.

What Does It Mean To Be An American What does it mean to be an american? Isn’t that the question that every american citizen wonders at some point in their lives? It is a simple question that can be taken different ways and answered in many different forms. Some may answer as a personal opinion, others as a factual statement, I however agree with those who see it as an opinion. Every person in America is different in some way.

In the current political environment, the question “What does it mean to be an American” is one that really caused me to think and reflect deeply. And while some are vowing to “Make America Great Again”, I think there are already a number of things that already make America great and make me proud to be an American. Early on, our founding fathers suggested through the Constitution that at its core, what it meant to be American was simply “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” That’s a fairly simplistic notion and the focus of my essay explores whether this literal interpretation can still apply in today’s more complex society or whether being an American requires more than that.

When you ask a non American “What does America mean to you?”, they will more often than not answer with hamburgers, obesity, NFL and Reality TV. That is okay because who doesn 't love hamburgers and football filled Sundays, who doesn 't love watching silly reality TV shows and who doesn 't love a cheat day every once in awhile? Those people are judging a book by its cover and fortunately for me… well my thoughts about America are quite different. When an individual asks me “What does America mean to you?”, I immediately think of three words, freedom, love and family. The most important right someone can have in this world is freedom and luckily for americans we have the luxury of freedom all the time. America has the freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition, the freedoms I just listed are only a few that America are known for. Sadly for other countries, most of them do

In “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” by Frederick Douglass, it states “There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States…” (Doc. G). Frederick Douglass hates how the United States celebrate Independence Day even though everyone not everyone is free, slaves. Slavery captivates the human from his or her rights and caused an uprise for the end of slavery. In a Republican nomination speech by Abraham Lincoln, it states “A house divided against itself cannot stand” (Doc. M).

This day is a time of love, sorrow, and history as we honor the veterans who served for our great nation. All my life my school has hosted a program on Veterans Day. This assembly has always been one of my favorite parts of the year. When you enter the room, it feels like an ordinary day. But by the time you leave you feel like a true American.

Frederick Douglass’ speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” gave many enslaved and free African-Americans, and also white people, a new perspective of the national holiday Europeans created after gaining their freedom from Britain. Douglass’ main claim outlines and expresses in detail the hypocrisy of celebrating the fourth of July as a negro. Whilst it is intended to be a festive, patriotic day for most people living in America, to the enslaved black men and women, it is a slap in the face. He begins his speech by acknowledging the fact that America at the time had been independent from Britain for seventy-six years, and goes even further by commending the boldness of the men who fought for their freedom. Douglass starts the speech in such a respectful way, a strategic method used to captivate the attention of the people the speech is aim towards, in order for a change to take place.

We celebrate Veterans Day every year on November 11th to honor the men and women who served and is still serving our wonderful country. We shouldn’t honor a veteran just once a year but everyday because they are protecting us everyday. When we say the pledge in the mornings we should be thinking about our veterans and what they did for us. Many veterans we get to still celebrate with and some were not so lucky and didn’t make it back home to their loved ones.

According to the dictionary, the definition of Americanism is a custom, trait, belief, etc., peculiar to the United States of America or its citizens. In 1776 when the United States was established and we declared independence from Britain, we got many rights and freedoms. Those rights and freedoms are still very important today to making Americans who they are and what they believe.

What to the Slave is the Fourth of July Introduction The 4th of July is an important day in American history it represents freedom and is usually associated with fireworks, parades, alcohol, and concerts. Those activities more or less represent today’s culture. When Fredrick Douglass made his speech he talked about American values such as liberty, citizenship, and freedom. The irony of this speech was that at the time white Americans in the south were still participating in slave trading.

Imagine waking up in a house that is not your home. You do not know what the morning routine is, what is eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or even know what is and what is not appropriate behavior. In the movie Coming to America which was directed by John Landis, Eddie Murphy’s character, Prince Akeem, is in for a cultural shift when he decides to move from Africa to Queens, New York in order to find his princess. In the film, Akeem is exposed to how Africa differs from America when he discovers the differences in power distance, work ethic, and the value of money.

To many, the Fourth of July was a day to celebrate the anniversary of the United States signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776. However, to others it was a day to realize the injustices and brutality that many people lived in. Frederick Douglass was not only an African American political activist, but also an extraordinary speaker who desired to abolish slavery. He addressed the problem of American slavery from a slave 's point of view throughout his notorious Independence Day Speech At Rochester when he said, “What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.”

However, my parents worried that I may dismiss my education for money. After discussing the matter though, it was agreed I would keep my job to pay for college. Having a job though had a big impact on my life, it motivated me to pursue a career, and go to college. Similar to many people my age, I was uncertain with what I wanted to do, or study in college. My original plan was to take a gap year between high school, and college where I could work while saving money for school, yet think about a career path.