What is America? Part 1.
The Exam Question:
At the end of each term, we ask the students to pontificate on the meaning of America and Americaness; based on the history and time period we have covered and the documents at hand.
What is America By Margaret Stewart
America is a country full of opportunities for all people to fulfill their dreams and utilize the rights of Americans to their fullest potential. While doing so, people stay true to American values and do not take them for granted. One of the main themes of America is the American Dream, which symbolizes the opportunities Americans have compared to other countries. It helps people remember the freedoms Americans have and the ability to go out and impact the country. Another theme representing America is people's ability to take risks and not fear the outcome. America is the land of opportunity that takes risks, not knowing how this will positively or negatively affect the country. Americans continue to have a significant influence on the overall world. Without these essential themes, America would not be where it is today.
Every day Americans represent the American Dream due to the opportunities and freedoms granted compared to other countries. Americans live a life where they can be a crucial member of society and speak out for what they believe. The Bill of Rights states all citizens' freedoms, which are constantly being adjusted to fit societal changes. The First Amendment is one of the most impactful Amendments because it represents the American dream, which other countries do not have. The first amendment grants all citizens the freedom of religion, speech, and press; as a result, America is diverse due to religious liberties and the ability to speak out against injustices. This Federalist 10 exemplifies citizens using their voices to unite with one another and speak out against problems within the government, resulting in improvements for current generations. The American Dream also represents a sense of belonging and that we live in a beautiful country with many opportunities to not take for granted. The song “This land was made for you and me,” written by Woody Guthrie, represents the positive aspects of America through nature, freedom, and a sense of belonging that all U.S. citizens are created as equals and granted the same privileges. We have the right to impact the country and initiate changes for future generations positively. The American Dream entices people to want to be American citizens because not every country has these fantastic opportunities, capabilities, and freedoms.
America is a country full of strength and bravery due to its ability to strive for excellence at all times and not fear the potential outcome. One of the earlier ways America showed the ability to take risks without fear was during the American Revolution; through this, they gained independence from the British and created their form of governmental ways. The image of Westward the Course of Empire by Emanuel Leutz demonstrates Americans being trailblazers through discovering new trails and metaphorically discovering new ways of life. Their move West for new opportunities and a willingness to learn new ways of life from past flaws within the country. However, sometimes America encounters problems that cause significant distress to citizens due to America being an experiment where they constantly learn with the citizens. They continue to work through the challenges and do not give up.This idea is represented through the song “I won’t back down written by Tom Petty. The song encompasses the idea of not giving up after experiencing problems with the government or within oneself but instead seeing it as a way to improve for the next time.After all,America is an experiment where they learn with citizens ways to enhance the quality of life throughout the country.
What is America? By Haddon Buschmann
America is a reflection of the people who live there and drive the country. America started forming its own culture and way of life even before they separated from Britain in the Revolutionary war. From when the first settlers came to America to today, Americans have believed that they are exceptional. America was built on the ideals that it was meant to create new ideas and be exceptional over all other nations. Americans believe that their ideas, culture, and values are superior to others, so they try to fulfill these expectations as best as they can.
Americans are very hard and diligent workers who strive to become the best they can be. While they aim high with their goals, sometimes they are not able to achieve them. Throughout history, many different groups of people such as Native Americans, African Americans, and women in the United States have been unfairly discriminated against. Even though America has done many amazing things, they continue to mistreat groups of people because of unreasonable motivation. America is a society that pushes themselves to be the best and better than everyone else, but even though they try their best, they cannot satisfy the needs of all the citizens in the country.
Americans push to create and do the impossible. Their drive to be the best they can is what makes them a model for nations around the world. This is proven in a speech given by Ralph Waldo Emerson called, “The American Scholar.” This speech was given to the best and brightest people in the world, so they are the people all Americans follow and look up to. He demands people to not be a “parrot of other men’s thinking,” and to not just fit into society, but to take action and create stuff. He also explains that, “Man hopes. Genius creates.” He is telling the smartest people in the United States to do and not think. To take what they have learned from nature and use it to make something with their own ideas with critical thinking. He commands people to not be associated with one thing, but to be broad and interesting. This is a reflection of America as a whole because these ideals are what drive many people to construct their own ideas.
Another source that represents the American work ethic is “Westward the Course of Empire,” a painting by Emanuel Leutze. This painting is an example of “Manifest Destiny,” which is the belief that it was America’s duty and right to civilize the west. On the right side of the painting, there is an icy, dark valley. This represents the hardships and troubles that the pioneers faced on the trail they had come from. However, the left side of the painting, which represents the west, demonstrated the prosperous and thriving future that they have ahead using the bright and vivid colors of the sun. Leutze has explained how he wanted to praise the achievements of the heroes who made this horrible journey, but also recognize the suffering the pioneers had to go through. Even though the trail was rough and treacherous, Americans persevered through the pain and built their empire in the west. This painting provides a great example of who people should look up to today, which is the reason why it is hung in the United States Capitol as a symbol of who Americans are, and how they should work hard to achieve great things.
America was built around the belief that their ideas are superior, and they are meant to spread their civilization. This is an idea known as American Exceptionalism, and it is an ideal that our country was formed with. A source from 1630 that demonstrates this is a book by John Winthrop called, “A Model of Christian Charity.” Even though this is from before America was actually its own country, it still is a great representation of the beliefs that made the country. This is about some of the first settlers who laid the foundation for America. The settlers were Puritans, and even the name shows how they thought everybody should follow them because they were the “model.” Puritans believed that they were chosen by God by succeeding, and because they made it to America, they claimed that they were “a city upon a hill.” This means that they thought they were higher and better than everyone else, and they were a representation for who everyone should be. They aimed for a utopia when they got to America because they were convinced that they could. This book provided ideals from the first people in the United States for many Americans in the future to follow.
A painting that also demonstrates this theme of American Exceptionalism is, “American Progress” by John Gast. This is a depiction of “Manifest Destiny” because they believed America was meant to bring civilization to the west. As they are moving into the left side of the painting, which represents the west, they are pushing away the darkness along with the Native Americans, creating light, and bringing their industrial ideas with them. This illustrates how America was a gloomy and desperate place before the new settlers got a hold of it and made it prosperous. There is a depiction of Lady Liberty in the middle of the painting that is literally giving America liberty as they move west. As they are moving west, they are taking America with them.
Even though America is very innovative with new ideas every day, it continues to mistreat certain groups of people, which sometimes disrupts the progress of innovation. A speech by Red Jacket in 1805 called, “The Great Spirit Had Made Us All” is a great example of this.
Red Jacket explains how the Native Americans “never quarrel about religion” like the settlers seem to always do. He insinuates that perhaps the Americans should have adopted some ways of
the Native Americans instead of immediately trying to oust them from their own land. He mentions that the Native Americans “gave them corn and meat, they gave [the Native Americans] poison in return.” They could have helped each other learn and grow instead of only fighting and bringing each other down. This unfair discrimination towards the Native Americans goes on for hundreds of years, and still happens today. What could have happened if they had gotten along and shared their cultures instead of destroying each other?
One more source that depicts how sometimes Americans can be ignorant to the world and mistreat certain groups unfairly is a song called, “Colors of the Wind” by Judy Kuhn from the movie, “Pocahontas.” This song explains how Americans are so fast in trying to urbanize and colonize with their inventions that they cannot see the beauty of nature. Pocahontas asks the colonist, John Smith, how high the trees will grow, but tells Smith that “if you cut it down, then you’ll never know.” The quote explains that if the colonists demolish all of nature and earth, then they will not have the opportunity of experiencing the beauty it contains and how much nature could thrive. This source demonstrates how Americans can be ignorant to what is really good and can help them thrive, so they instead try to destroy it instead of cultivating it.
America is a country that has grown a huge amount since the first settlers came to America and started building American culture and ideals. It has had its ups and downs throughout history that has made it what it is today. America thrives because of the people, who create and innovate with new ideas daily. But these people are sometimes the reason America can fall behind. If Americans were more open to the ideas of other cultures and groups of people, they might be a more progressed country than they are today. For example, if they had included women, African Americans, and Native Americans in many important parts of history, they could have created something great. Even though it is not a perfect country, the citizens of America aim for perfection, and they continue to grow today, despite the fact that they might fall short most of the time.