The concept of what it means to be an American is a complex and multifaceted one, and it can be challenging to pinpoint a single definition that encapsulates all of the qualities that make someone truly American. However, there are a few key characteristics that many people would likely include in their understanding of what it means to be an American.
First and foremost, being an American often involves having a deep sense of patriotism and love for one's country. This can manifest in various ways, such as actively participating in the political process, supporting the military, and engaging in activities that promote national pride, like singing the national anthem or flying the American flag.
Another important aspect of being an American is having a commitment to certain values and ideals. These may include things like liberty, democracy, and equality, as well as a belief in the importance of hard work and personal responsibility. Americans also tend to value diversity and inclusivity, and many people see these values as fundamental to the nation's identity.
In addition to these more abstract qualities, there are also more practical elements that are often associated with being an American. For example, most Americans are citizens of the United States, and this citizenship typically comes with certain rights and responsibilities, such as the ability to vote and the obligation to follow the country's laws.
Finally, being an American often involves a certain cultural identity, which can include things like speaking English, participating in certain traditions and customs, and having a shared history and sense of community with other Americans.
In short, being an American is a multifaceted concept that involves a combination of patriotism, values, citizenship, and cultural identity. While it is impossible to define this concept with perfect precision, these are some of the key elements that many people would likely include in their understanding of what it means to be an American.
What Makes An American
After discussing the matter though, it was agreed I would keep my job to pay for college. Of course, the story is not so simple, as Gleason himself went on to note. 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. Or, does their race, creedand ethnicity make a person an American? And so it should remain. All he had to do was to commit himself to the political ideology centered on the abstract ideals of liberty, equality, and republicanism.
What makes an American? (Part 1)
All athletes can be expected to excel in the sport they play in, which can have extremely damaging effects. Why, then, if all national cultures have ethnic cores, should those outside this core embrace the national culture? Some may answer as a personal opinion, others as a factual statement, I however agree with those who see it as an opinion. No, the real qualities that make a person an American are more complex. What Makes American Literature Unique? Reciprocally, the Québécois, Cree, or Déné would accept the perfect legitimacy of the "mosaic" identity. These were questionsthe There are two lenses to examine the "American" question: ethnic identity or civic identity, said "If we think about citizenship or American identity in terms of ethnicity, we're going to look at who people are," he said. Namely, whether being of European heritage or descent was an important criterion. Acknowledging that in many countries the "ethical-cultural" form of life of the majority is "fused" with the "political culture," he argues that the "level of the shared political culture must be uncoupled from the level of subcultures and their prepolitical identities.
What Is American Literature and What Makes It Unique? American Literature Essay
Both nationality and ethnicity have cultural components, but what is said to distinguish "civic" nations from "ethnic" nations is that the latter are exclusionary and closed on grounds of biological descent; the former are, in principle, open to anyone willing to adopt the national culture. These are what make an American. The idea of an American having a single race, religion, or class is apparently dominant, and as the film demonstrates, is dangerous. Conservative citizens like Bob Dutko are vehement in their disagreement with Islam, and describe violence as inherent in the religion. The first naturalization law of 1790 required nothing more than an oath to support the U. This essay is part of a What is the essence of American identity? While this tension is longstanding, however, the various ethnic subgroups in America today can and do carry their cultural identities — and therewith their social and historical interpretations of America and their place within it — into the mainstream of American life.
What Makes an American Hero?
They 'otherize' those who are Muslim, and admittedly see them as a potential threat. For them, systems like the Constitution were designed to take advantage of both the good and the bad in man in order to benefit the common good. A minimum length of residency of eight down from ten years is also required, and dual citizenship is not formally recognized. Gothic Imagination: Essays in Dark Romanticism. Conversations around assimilationcan be fraught much of the time and this is particularly true when we talk about language. His change in view seems to have been motivated in part by his belief that principles and ideology are too weak to unite a political community, and also by his fears about immigrants maintaining transnational identities and loyalties — in particular, Mexican immigrants whom he sees as creating bilingual, bicultural, and potentially separatist regions; Who Are We? They did not share the modern romanticism of man being inherently good and systems corrupting our nature. And while solidarity can be understood as "an experience of willed affiliation," some forms of American solidarity have been less inclusive than others, demanding much more than simply the desire to affiliate.
