Any definition of the American identity involves two very opposing ideals: it must allow for cultural diversity and yet also define a need for assimilation to common expectations. It must reflect the diverse roots of its culture as well as allow for common experiences shared across lines of race, ethnicity, or religion. The early settlers found a wilderness that needed to be cleared and tamed for the establishment of a respected community. Later, it was recognized as a land of natural resources and opportunity that attracted its citizens and immigrants alike with the promise of employment and prosperity. Still later, the American identity recognized the need for its government to protect the land and its individuals, serving as a tool for …show more content…
Grant was a great battle leader and was instrumental in winning the Civil War that lead to the emancipation of black slaves. He saw a great need to protect the rights of all Americans. As president, Grant vigorously enforced the 14th and 15th amendments and prosecuted thousands of people who violated African American civil rights, using the power of his militia to stop the Ku Klux Klan and an uprising against black Republicans in Louisiana. Grant signed the Civil Rights Act of 1870 and1875 that allowed all citizens equal access to public restaurants, hotels, and places of entertainment. He worked on a peace policy for Indians and went on to reform the western Indian agencies hoping to protect their rights to freedom of religion and property. Recognizing the importance of protecting the land from too much development, Grant increased public awareness of the natural beauty of the area around Yellowstone by signing a bill in March 1872 that established the Yellowstone region as the nation's first national park. Referring to the Chinese immigration as a form of slavery, Grant claimed that “the great proportion of the Chinese immigrants who come to our shores do not come voluntarily, to make their homes with us and their labor productive of general prosperity, but come under contracts with headmen, who own them almost absolutely.” He wanted to assist these immigrants. Unfortunately, Grant’s Cabinet contained some members with questionable ethics and this resulted in a
During his presidency, Congress ratified the 13th-Amendment that abolished slavery in 1865. In addition, President Johnson made contributions to the black people by vetoing bills that increased protection offered by Freedman Bureau. His vetoes also nullified the Black Codes and guaranteed full citizenship and equal rights to black people. This brought up the Civil Rights Act of 1866, an act that granted citizenships and same rights that both black and white enjoyed. As a result, the Civil Rights Act set up the basis for the 14th amendments that was also later ratified in 1866.
Literary Analysis: Exploring American Identity Introduction This essay compares “In response to executive order 9066” (poem) by Dwight Okita to “Mericans” (short story) by Sandra Cisneros. Specifically, the essay explores the central theme of American identity in the two literary works. The “Mericans” is about a little girl who has a story about the new world and the old world. In this case, the new world is America.
Grant also established the Indian Appropriation Act which “ended tribal recognition and the treaty system to make all Indians wards of the state” (http://us-presidents.insidegov.com/l/20/Ulysses-S-Grant). Lastly, another major legislation was passed was the Civil Rights Act of 1870 which “made it a federal crime to deprive of anyone of his civil or political rights by interfering with the right to vote.”
Hilary Weaver argues in her piece of writing; that identifying indigenous identity is complex, complicated, and hard to grasp when internalized oppression and colonization has turned Native Americans to criticize one another. Throughout the text, Weaver focuses on three main points which she calls, the three facets. Self-identification, community identification, and external identification are all important factors that make up Native American identity. The author uses a story she calls, “The Big game” to support her ideologies and arguments about the issue of identity. After reading the article, it’s important to realize that Native American’s must decide their own history and not leave that open for non-natives to write about.
Mexican Americans have immigrated and emigrated to Americas since before the Mexican American war of 1848. Immigration of Chicanos has been happening for a very long time, but the only difference is that it is now becoming a problem. Before the border was created Mexicans would legally cross to America, with no immigration problems, until 1924. When the border was created, Mexicans and Chicanos no longer has access to their old Chicano lives. Children continue to illegally be brought to America in search of better opportunities.
When America was built, its character and identity was established by The Declaration of Independence, providing its citizens equality, liberty, and equal opportunity. The premise of the composition of USA became known as the American Dream, with the aspiration that one’s achievement is not constrained by his/her social class or fortune but is determined by endeavor. This delusion of harmony was greatly contradicted by two novels: The Crucible and The Grapes of Wrath. In The Crucible, under constant hallucination of evil and corruptness, people for their own greediness began making false accusations on each other.
What it means to be an American Argumentative Essay “It takes one, to know one” a quote by the Unknown. America has many different people with many different races. Every single person, no matter where they originated from, or where their ancestors originated from, has the power to make the world a better place. The article is about a life of a man who came from France and fought in the French and Indian War. He was one of the few people who stayed behind and accepted the new beginnings of a new, free world.
During the “Gilded Age” period of American history, development of the Trans-Mississippi west was crucial to fulfilling the American dream of manifest destiny and creating an identity which was distinctly American. Since the west is often associated with rugged pioneers and frontiersmen, there is an overarching idea of hardy American individualism. However, although these settlers were brave and helped to make America into what it is today, they heavily relied on federal support. It would not have been possible for white Americans to settle the Trans-Mississippi west without the US government removing Native Americans from their lands and placing them on reservations, offering land grants and incentives for people to move out west, and the
The American dream at one point was what drew people to American; the right to life, liberty, and the happiness. The American dream is the hope to acquire currency, large homes, raise a middle-class family, and pursue what brings people joy in life. But in the year 2016, the American dream becomes hard to believe in. The American dream may still exist, but it is not equally accessible to all Americans. This is true because the American dream is not affordable for everyone, it is not available to everyone from different degrees of education, and race and ethnicity creates large social barriers.
What Does It Mean To Be An American What does it mean to be an american? Isn’t that the question that every american citizen wonders at some point in their lives? It is a simple question that can be taken different ways and answered in many different forms. Some may answer as a personal opinion, others as a factual statement, I however agree with those who see it as an opinion. Every person in America is different in some way.
Being an American can mean many different things all depending on the different perspectives of different ethnic or religious groups. So what does being an American mean to me? Being an American to means that everyone can live a happy stress free life where they don’t have to worry about being discriminated against or feeling like they don’t have equal rights. To start with, being an American can range in definition depending on a person 's perspective of America. Personally, I would say being an American is when you can live a happy life where you don 't have to worry about being treated differently because of the color of your skin.
Stop Burning the American Flag! Ronald Reagan once said, “When we honor our flag we honor what we stand for as a Nation - freedom, equality, justice, and hope.” The Texas v. Johnson case is a vast problem that seems to be overpowering in today’s society. Since the case began there have been flag burnings all over the country, and no one seems to be concerned since people are not getting disciplined. People should not be burning the flag that so many people fight and lost their lives for.
I envision the future America as a sanctuary that will protect and love the citizens of this country more than it is shown in the society of today. I imagine that the violence and chaos that is present today will eventually be defeated if we can conquer it with compassion and understanding. When we provide good work ethics along with focus, America will be built up the way it was intended to be. The thirty-third president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, stated, “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
Schuylon Johnson Coach D. English IV Immigration in America The number of legal, and illegal immigrants have risen over the years, which has stirred more debate about immigration. Some think it’ll help the economy, and the others think that it’s affecting the economy, but in reality, immigration has been beneficial to a degree, but there are negative effects as well. A topic that is always discussed in America is with the increasing number of immigrants will there be an increase of terrorist attacks? Multiple people say yes, because of the previous terrorist attacks by Muslim.
Freedom Anyone in the world with an occasional source of internet has no choice but to see the seemingly outrageous news stories, posted weekly on events in the US. American’s have made their distrust in the government more than obvious, which in many cases, the government has provoked. The largest debate in the states today is the with the concept of freedom and where the lines are drawn between social security, equality, and one’s rights. Freedom is and always has been heavily emphasized in the development of the 50 states. It’s brought peace and war both figuratively and literally.