13 February, 2008
What Is an American?
Dear Concerned Reader,
What is an American? We live in a world of pride, liberty, and accomplishment. “The land or Opportunity” The United States, is a place that Americans, like you and I, call home. Many people are quick to judge a person for their ethnic identity or based on their appearance, this is the place we call home. Americans always strive to be the best and always want the better things in life. We always want to be the first to discover something or take full credit for our hard work and accomplishments, this is an American.
Long ago, before many of our times, our fore-fathers came to America in search of our freedom and opportunity. In some cases they came with only a few dollars in their pockets, and worked hard for their children (or grandparents) to have the life of a free man. What people don’t understand or address as, much is that “The American” is mainly an immigrant; our forefathers and their forefathers immigrated to the United States in search for opportunity and freedom. These men and women stopped at nothing to make a better life for themselves. These hard working emigrants are basically what our nation stands on today. In the words of Jean De Crevecoeur “Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause a great change in the world.” (291)
In most Americans eyes, America is the greatest nation on earth and we are very proud to call ourselves Americans. For some people it is not that easy. To me anyone with the same legal rights as a U.S. citizen is an American. If people want to emigrate from different countries to come to America, all they want is the opportunity, like everybody else wanted way back then, to make something of themselves.
My parents are immigrants from Mexico, they came to the United States to work and raise their kids. A lot of people were quick to judge them and question their citizenship. My parents worked very hard to become citizens and they were still treated unjust. Initially it was hard for my parents to receive jobs, and even less for minimum wage. Together they worked through it and accomplished what they came here for; a better life.
In conclusion an American is a hard working individual that at some point he/she, or their ancestors, emigrated from a different country. An American can be anyone with that yearn or passion for a better life. Americans call this land home, where they earned a good life for themselves and their family. In the words of Jean De Crevecoeur, “Where my bread is earned, there is my country.” (291) This is an American.
Sincerely,
Bianca R