Despite the fact that Americans see themselves to be individualists, examines have discovered that
Despite the fact that Americans see themselves to be individualists, examines have discovered that
The United States of America is known for being very individualistic. This means that the people of the United States mostly rely on themselves to get things done and not on others in the community. People in the United States rarely will reach out to others in their community when they are facing a challenge, they will try to figure out the problem themselves almost every time. Self- achievement is valued, people are encouraged to set private goals, and there is high value on individual people’s freedom. In an article by Claire Andre and Manuel Valasquez it is said that, “What prevents Americans from "taking charge" is, our long and abiding allegiance to "individualism" -- the belief that "the good society" is one in which individuals are left free to pursue their private satisfactions independently of others, a pattern of thinking that emphasizes individual…
Americans seem to inherently focus on individualism and self-interest, according to Caleb Jacobo and Alexis de Tocqueville. Tocqueville, a Frenchman who visited and wrote about America in the 19th century, and Jacobo, an American writing in the present day, have similar ideas despite their cultural differences. Jacob argues that this natural focus on individualism comes from America’s founders who came here in order to escape the popular statism in Europe, as he says that “America was built on the social-political ideals of Individualism” (Jacobo). There was no common culture except for the self-reliance and individualism naturally present in people who came to America from “an array of varied cultural and economic backgrounds” (Jacobo). The emphasis on doing what one could to better one’s self led to a country “where a single person could enact real and immediate change in their lives to increase the quality of life within their communities” (Jacobo). Tocqueville discusses a similar idea that he observed in Americans, that they believe that helping others helps themselves, and vice versa. “They show with complacency how an enlightened regard for themselves constantly prompts them to assist each other, and inclines them willingly to sacrifice a portion of their time and property to the welfare of the State” (Tocqueville).…
4. Why is individualism the dominant characteristic of American political culture? How is the nature of American individualism changing?…
On the other end of the spectrum, Henry Demarest Lloyd wrote “When this solidification of many into one has been reached, we shall be at last face to face with the naked truth that it is not only the form but the fact of arbitrary power, of control without consent, of rule without representation that concerns us.” Lester Frank Ward, another individualist who wrote the book Dynamic Sociology, argued that what the people “really need is more government in its primary sense, greater protection from the rapacity of the favored few.” The big question everyone wants answered is…
An American is someone who is decisive because there have been many instances where Americans, both civilians and leaders have had to make hard decisions. America is a place that was made with innovation. It is also a place where said innovations improve the quality of life even if tough decisions have to be made. In fact, the nation has experienced many drastic changes, some good some bad, but all have led to where we are today. Thus, an American is someone who is decisive, because they have the courage and ability to innovate and make good changes.…
False American Ideals As many call the Indian Holocaust, the poor treatment of Indians in America existed the minute Europeans stepped foot on their land. In 1492, Columbus arrived in the New World only to find that it was already inhabited. Still, the Europeans murdered, enslaved, and relocated the Native Americans westward. Still, hundreds of years later in the 1800’s, this indigent treatment of Native Americans still existed.…
In America, citizens strive to be individuals. Most persons favor someone who can take care of themself, but not everyone can take care of everything alone. At some point in an individual’s life, they will need the assistance of someone else or the help of society. Cornell West states in “The Moral Obligations of Living in a Democratic Society” that “the roots of democracy are fundamentally grounded in mutual respect, personal responsibility, and social accountability” (249). American individualism could be looked at as a chain link: each link is strong by itself, but…
Life in America is not a struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community. The United States were founded on the principles of freedom; anyone can be or do anything if they so please. In fact, nonconformity is becoming more popular than conformity with the advent of social media and new, various ways to connect with others. As a millennial, I grew up in a world where I was not shepherded into a community. Day in and day out, there was no social repercussion for not “being cool” or wearing the “right” clothes.…
In 1630, John Winthrop famously pleaded with the puritans to consider “that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people upon us” (John Winthrop, 1630). This was the birthplace of an idea for a nation that would develop, and be observed by many as creating its own ideology. It provoked the creation of attitudes and morals in the resulting United States, which would become known as ‘American Exceptionalism’, a nation viewing itself as above and more superior than any other nation. Exceptionalists see Winthrop’s words as a narrative about the US being founded as some sort of ‘Promised Land’: a new type of republic encompassing ‘a popular form of government to empower individuals and enable them to improve their lives’ (Tomes, p.30,…
There are many character qualities that would define an ideal American. An ideal American is far more than just a person with U. S. citizenship. It is one who loves his country and would do anything for it. Three of the characteristics of such a person are honesty, patriotism, and godliness. Everyone should strive to have them.…
The United States from its beginning has always been different. It has always been a uniquely free country in comparison to other countries. This is due to democracy and the idea of “God-given rights”. The country itself was founded on opportunity and individualism. These ideas make us different and it is labeled American Exceptionalism. According to Wikipedia, American Exceptionalism is based on three ideas. First, is the history of the United States. It is significantly different from that of other countries because America developed its ideas through years of hardship and learning. The second idea is the mission we have to change the world. The third idea is that this unique history gives us superiority over the rest of the world (2016). Exceptionalism means we are set apart from other countries, however, it is debated whether American exceptionalism is actually real.…
To be American can be seen in many different ways. There is no right or wrong way to tell whether you are American. Some of evidence that interested me through out the stories is that we are all immigrant, the founding father of America weren’t all American, and how only Chinese immigrants were sent to Angel Island. Out of the several stories that we read, many of them enforced or reinforced my point of view on the situation. My personal view on what it means to be American is that your race, religion, clothing, hair and all things like that don’t matter. To be American you just have to be a citizen of the United States, in my opinion.…
For most Americans over the majority of the Nations existence has held the United States of America to a high standard. Americans expect the government to do a vast number of jobs that benefit the individual. With such high standards over the past 241 years the United State of America has progressed at attaining the goals of the general public, or atleast it seems that way. Globally, the United States of America has the strongest economy, 3rd wealthiest gdp per capita and the strongest most advance military to date. To those whom live here and foreigners looking at the United States of America there is a strong presence of global domination that the United States gives off which has not always historically been there.…
American exceptionalism is also the belief that the United States is unique, or exceptional, when compared with the historical development of other countries (Friedman, Thomas). The revolution and the freeing of ourselves from Great Britain are very important to the ideas of American exceptionalism. Because of this belief, it is assumed that things such as dictatorship or terrorism cannot happen here (Daniel). We are the ones who are supposes to play an activist role on the global scale by promoting freedom and setting an example. This is exemplified when John Winthrop declared that the new land is to “be as a city upon a hill,” and, “the eyes of all people are upon us” in 1630, before America was truly even founded (Friedman, Uri). We had already begun to see ourselves as more virtuous. This worked itself into our forming foreign policy…
Individualism, where any citizen of American can achieve any level of success based on their personal motivation and attempt, is comparatively the same as egalitarianism. According to this practice, one is expected to be reliant on one’s self and responsible for one’s own life. As mentioned previously, a person can only be as reliant as the resources available. Every American is entitled to what the next may have, but difficulty may arise if they aren’t socially inclined to what is needed to succeed in society. This is where lower class, or middle even, can become victims of…