As of the year 2016, there are an estimated 324,118,787 people living in America. 324,118,787 people consider themselves to be Americans and 324,118,787 people have decided that America really is worthy enough to be called home. These people, whether they were born within the country or emigrated from another country, comingle in this melting pot of a nation, sharing grocery stores and hospitals and neighborhoods and all the ideologies that make up American society, and each of these people have their own lives and opinions and personal beliefs. All of these people, all (roughly) 324,118,787 of them, fall under the definition of an American – a person who lives in America, because there is simply no other way to define what an American is when
To Americans, America is a normal, basic country. America is an argumentative and feeling country with debates around every corner; yet somehow it retains a respectable air for a majority of the time. However, to people who live outside of America, the idea of what America is or could be differs entirely.
Being an American means a few things. Freedom, protecting the weak, loving your country, and being active in political affairs. The most important and also the most defining is freedom. Americans are free in both mind and body; able to think freely and, for the most part, act accordingly. Being an American means that almost anyone can run for government positions.
The Meaning of being an American has changed tremendously over the years. Being an American in the early 1800s means many different things. When i went to America last year they taught me that to be an American I need to understand Politics, Music and the American Religion. When I was down in America there were many people talking about Politics. Apparently politics is a really big thing there.
What does it mean to be an American today? Being an American isn’t hard,but sometimes people just like to not follow things. First thing is being to say The Pledge of Allegiance in school than sitting down on your lazy butt. Second thing is being yourself. Three thing is if you are at a game standing up and put your hand on our heart for The Star Stander Bender .
What it means to be an American is that you have the freedom to vote freedom of speech. You have the liberty to be what you want in America no one chooses for you. Also have the liberty to work wherever you want not be someone 's slave. Being American means you don 't have to hide your religion, the color of your skin or your sex. You have the ability to speak what you want.
There are many different reason for what is means to be an American. Many people believe that being an American means you like cheeseburgers and pizza, but it’s much more than that. Being an American means you help others who are in need, or to have an education, or taking part in elections for the government. Though, Americans all over the country would have different responses of what it means to be American. Being American can mean very different things, which means that there is no specific rule about how to be American.
What does it mean to be an American today? Or rather, what does being an American entail? Does that pertain to a certain individual’s perspective? Or is Americanism defined through a collective consciousness projected around the world? Over the course of time, Americans have gone through various embodiments of who they are, without loosing the essence of what they represent.
Almost all Americans have varied definitions on what being an American means. In the 1800’s we had what seems to be a single meaning for the word American. It was that they defended and fought for the country they love and also a vast majority of America was white men, but hey, we have to start somewhere. With our home across the seas we were safe from persecution. Now, we work alongside the British in trade, news, and of course in the United Nations.
We all go through life in varying manners, some choose to challenge the everyday laws, others cling to the authority hoping not to get noticed, we have different jobs, go to different schools, live in different neighborhoods, some of us have hundreds of family members, and some have none, theres no telling the situation. So the question in general is hard to answer because every American has a different view of living in america. Some people see it as shameful to live in such a cruel country, some are proud to be a part of something that is constantly evolving, there are endless feelings towards America and all are found in the people of this country. What does it mean to be an American? It is a very difficult question to answer and it seems impossible to get the right answer, but is there a right answer?
In some of the pieces of literature like “I, Too, Sing America,” “America and I,” “The Bill of Rights,” and “Veterans Day: Never Forget Their Duty” the authors have different ideas of what it means to be American. They also express their ideas using different strategies: negation, classification, and function. With these ideas and strategies a more complex definition on what it means to be American was developed. Being an American means being patriotic, having freedoms, and believing in a dream of something amazing. Having patriotism is part of being American.
Being an American means defending your own rights to freedom of speech and to be free to be who you want to be. By being who you want to be means having the right to choose your own religion. It means that you are proud of your country to have its values of freedom to life, speech and liberty. You have the right to have your own ideas and beliefs and you are able to express them knowing that you have that kind of freedom. It means that you have the freedom to make your own choices in life even if it is to be successful or not you have the freedom of that choice and the freedom to life.
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?”
When a person hears or sees the word America, what do they think? America is a country that almost everyone in the world knows about because there are certain words and phrases that can be used to describe it. Some common terms are sports, equality, the melting pot, powerful, freedom, hard working, and some more. All of these words make up what is known as the American Identity. This American Identity has been built up over time by people’s actions and thoughts.
For me the definition of a True American is not just someone born in U.S. In my opinion, a real American is someone who accepts the equality and diversity of the nation. I believe that being a True American is living in the country and contributing not just economically but also socially and culturally. Again, there is no one answer to this question. Again, this depend on the definition of True American.