I think it’s hard to exactly pinpoint one definition of an American identity because it involves so many different components and the different identities, collectively, are what set this country apart from all others. However, I would define an American as a person with hope, ambition, and drive to not only better them self, but also the people around them. Americans come from all walks of life and they don’t let their past define who they are or what they want to achieve.
Through the process of reading the selections in class, my ideas of American identity were challenged in several ways. De Crevecoeur’s definition posed the biggest challenge because he kind of went back and forth between different dynamics of what it means to be an American. I agree with his view of different races melting together to become a new community and that people were taking things they had learned in the past and moving forward with those ideas to form a better society. Since this passage was written right at the birth of our nation, it is hard to be completely mindful of his narrow definition of who was free and who was important. Aldrich’s definition also somewhat challenged me because he was very opposed to America being an open door and he felt that immigrants posed a threat to the country.
My personal definition really didn’t change at all, but after reading “Let America be America Again” and “I, Too,” I became more mindful of the fact that not everyone has had a great experience as an American because they were not considered as an equal citizen, but I feel that it makes them even more of an American because they continued to dream of a better life and they weren’t going to tolerate people pushing them away.
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