Understanding of What It Means to Be an American

What does it truly mean to be an American? Some people say its to learn a whole new language, to be religious, that you were suppose to be born here in the states (or if your parents were born here), or to have an ethnic background. But its really about commiting to the political ideals of liberty, equality, and republicanism. To also be nationalist and patriotic to your own country. Today, there are so many reasons or ways to be an American such as The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights/The Constitution, The National Anthem, and much more. The defining quality of being an American is the right way to having freedom and liberty.

In the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment talks about Freedom of Speech, which means that an American has the right to speak their own mind; to also help serve our country by standing up for what we believe is right; to make their own decisions. In the Ninth Amendment, it just describes the government giving us some of the rights. The purpose of the Bill of Rights is to protect us from the government overreaching on their powers to impinge on our rights. To the Bill of Rights, there are so many concepts of “America,” such as Freedom of Religion, Right to do Process, Right to Bear Arms, and much more.

Freedom of Religion allows people to choose which religion to believe in and follow, or maybe to not believe at all. As an American, everyone should be honored to have these privileges, as most other countries are not fortunate to have all the freedom compared to ours. Freedom is what sets us apart from other countries, and many people lost their lives fighting for their freedoms. As an American, everyone needs to have pride in their own country.

In the Declaration of Independence, the key phrase that basically explain everything, are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. This phrase says that all human beings have been given, by their Creator, protection of which they institute governments. Another phrase would be “seperated but equal.” This explains that people are different, but the same as well, and should be treated as complete equals. The Declaration of Independence has many purposes based on liberty, personal responsibility, private property, and much more. Our respect for the rule of law, and our commitment to affording equal justice to all.

And finally in the National Anthem, the purpose of its source of pride and cultural significance for citizens, creates allegiance and loyalty to its respective country, a reminder of significant national, cultural, and patriotic events. The National Anthem was written by Francis Scott Key when he watched the attack from a British prisoner ship. As the battle ceased on the following morning, Key turned his telescope to the fort and saw the American flag was still waving. From that day, Key was inspired to write a poem which was then eventually adopted as the national anthem of the United Sates – “The Star Spangled Banner.”

America takes quite a big part on what it means to be an American, but some parts of literature have some relationship with the idea of America, such as the American Dream. The American Dream is the tradtional social ideals of the United States, such as equality, freedom, and opportunity. As well as a life of personal happiness an material comfort as traditional sought by individuals in the United States. A great example about not achieving the American Dream is “The Great Gatsby.”

“The Great Gatsby,” is a great example of someone not achieving the American Dream because Jay Gatsby, the main character in the novel, is considered as a selfish and dishonest man, who shows no signs of courage, but shows some signs of materialism. Gatsby did all of this just to win Daisy’s love. Winning someones love just by doing something that does not feel right is a sign of someone not achieving their goals, and a bad way of showing what it means to be an American. Nobody should lie to get what they want, they should be honest, respectful, and honest.

America is home of the American Dream. This dream, quite similar to gravity, pulls people towards the core of the world, America, is a promise of hope for the hopeless. This dream embodies the ideal that, with hard work, any individual is capable of climbing the rungs of the social ladder towards prosperity and success. This dream is only a possibility because America cares about its people. To be an American is to be part of a country that considers its citizens because America uplifts its people through social values of equality, unity of individuals, and justice.

Today, peoples perception on what it means to be an American is completely different. People believe being an American is having the picture perfect family. To be an American means that everyone is free and have to be quite fortunate to even have many things that everyone has. People are quite fortunate to have a government where they look out for everyone, and try to do what is in the best interest of our country. Being an American is great because our society is willing to help people who aren’t as fortunate as some others, but America is willing to help everyone and make choices.

Being an American citizen implies appreciating democracy, own liberty and individual investment capital greater than it does some other nation. Many people dream about being an American. They dream because they envision America as the land of peace and prosperity. Throughout history there have been examples politcally, economically, and socially, where being an American is rewarding and times where it’s embarrassing. To be an American means progress; we evolve from a world ruled by white men to a world of equal opportunity.