We Are All American

We Are All American

Being an American is more than just a term used to describe people in a specific geological area. America is a place on a map but the true originality lies much deeper. American is a word used to describe the very identity of people, who are spread around the world, yet share common characteristics in life. An American is new, friendly, and hardworking.

The first thing about an American is that they are new. This may sound very unusual but when looking at what defines an American, new fits very well. New means not existing before; made, introduced, or discovered recently or now for the first time. Americans are people who have discovered themselves for the first time or have found new opportunities to become whomever they desire. This exact scenario is explained in the biography of Dut which states “ Grateful to American people who’d helped him change his own life, he returned to the U.S determined to make a difference for the people of his birthplace”( Dut P.2).This shows that in America, humans are free to start their lives over and accomplish their dreams. Being new means to transform the way you think. Crevecoeur, the author of “What Is An American?”, puts it like this- “ The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions” (P. 2). Being American also means being free of persecutions. In “The New Colossus” it states “Liberty also meant freedom to come to the United States and create a new life without religious and ethnic persecution”( Lazarus P.1). America is a place where anyone can become the person they want to be without being pulled back due to certain customs.

Another American trait is being friendly. There are tons of different social classes and mixes of different races. America is a melting pot and interacts with each other much more than any other country. Here, everyone is a somebody whether they are poor, rich, fat, skinny, tall, short, black, white, deaf, or blind. This is exemplified by a quote from Crevecuer- “ Formerly they were not numbered in any civil list of their country, except in those of the poor; here they rank as citizens”(P.1). This quote shows that it doesn't matter where you originated from, you are no less a person then the next guy. Another way that Americans are friendly is through the very symbol that identifies America- The Statue of Liberty. In the New Colossus, it states, “Lazarus’ words, however, turned that idea on it’s head: the Statue of Liberty would forever on be considered a beacon of welcome for immigrants leaving their mother countries”(P.1). Being friendly and welcoming/ accepting others for who they are