American Identity: An American Melting Pot
Many factors play into being American. An American doesn’t have to know the language perfectly or eat the typical “American food”, everyone that lives in America should have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities. An American identity is created by adapting the techniques of life and how to do things. You don’t need to look the same or even sound the same, each American is different in their own way. There is not a description of a perfect “American Citizen”. America is a big “melting pot”. “The ideal of the melting pot symbolized the process of blending many strains into a single nationality and we have come to realize in modern times that the melting pot need not mean the end of particular identities or traditions.” (Kennedy, 27).
This factors into the meaning of an american identity, that you should not drop your traditions or identities to try and become your idea of an American citizen. Many people come into conflict over the meaning of an American identity because everyone has their own definition.
“ Oscar Handlin has said, “ Once I thought to write a history of the immigrants in America. Then I discovered that the immigrants were American History.” (Kennedy, 23). Immigrants are American. All Americans at sometime in their life get bullied, discriminated or even bully and discriminate against other people. It’s one of the worst characteristics of an American Citizen. The dialogue in “American History” between Elena and Eugene’s mother at Eugene’s house, shows her getting discriminated because she isn’t a wealthy white person, she is a poor Puerto Rican. Also a big part going back to immigration, is that everyone is an immigrant of a descendant of an immigrant (Kennedy, 23), they all had to go through a sequence of things to be able to get into America, showing perseverance which is a big part of being and “American”.
Over all, just be yourself and you’re an American. There is no perfect definition of being “American”. You don’t need to listen to the negative things people say. You have your own meaning of an American and you can be whatever you want
This factors into the meaning of an american identity, that you should not drop your traditions or identities to try and become your idea of an American citizen. Many people come into conflict over the meaning of an American identity because everyone has their own definition.
“ Oscar Handlin has said, “ Once I thought to write a history of the immigrants in America. Then I discovered that the immigrants were American History.” (Kennedy, 23). Immigrants are American. All Americans at sometime in their life get bullied, discriminated or even bully and discriminate against other people. It’s one of the worst characteristics of an American Citizen. The dialogue in “American History” between Elena and Eugene’s mother at Eugene’s house, shows her getting discriminated because she isn’t a wealthy white person, she is a poor Puerto Rican. Also a big part going back to immigration, is that everyone is an immigrant of a descendant of an immigrant (Kennedy, 23), they all had to go through a sequence of things to be able to get into America, showing perseverance which is a big part of being and “American”.
Over all, just be yourself and you’re an American. There is no perfect definition of being “American”. You don’t need to listen to the negative things people say. You have your own meaning of an American and you can be whatever you want