What It Means To Be An American Essay

762 Words4 Pages

What is an American? An American can be described as many things and in many ways. It is fair to say that Americans all expect to be treated the same as one another, as well as any other person, American or not. Americans also like to have the choice between at least two positive alternatives. Americans feel the need to act upon new principles. Americans are what create America. Americans are supposed to be treated equally. No one is an exception to the law and no one is above it. Race, ethnicity, social class, or gender cannot and should not determine the amount of freedom one is entitled to. Everyone in America is treated the same, whether you were born here or not. However, the freedom one has can be taken away if the liberties that are given to them are not being used wisely. The author claimed, “Formerly they were not numbered in any civil list of their …show more content…

Back when Americans were segregated and not united, the country was not very much developing. American citizens of different races would act as if they were against each other, when they were most definitely not. If they all claimed to be Americans, then there was no reason for them to be segregated. They started to realize that they should not be segregated and started to put aside their differences. They came together as a country. By doing so they, were able to better the country and their lives, along with the lives of the people who follow them. If the Americans back then did not change the way in which they lived their lives, then America would not be what it is today. The idea of what an American is would be completely different than what is typically described. If people kept acting upon old principles, then the country would have never thrived and they would have never been able to possess the quality of life they have today. By acting upon new principles Americans allow for their country and themselves to thrive (St. John de