What It Means To Be An American Essay

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Over the two-hundred plus years, America has built a reputation that has impacted every country in the world. We are known far and wide for being the big brother of the world. The instigators and protectors of freedom and democracy. As Americans, we have a tremendous amount of pride in our history. We broke away and won a war against what was at the time the most powerful county in the world. We have fought and won countless wars over the years. We create innovations, opportunities, and equalities. This is not to say that we don’t have darkness in our past, which we do. But nonetheless the most prominent reason America distinguishes itself from the world is the people that reside in it. The American reputation is not always the best, but it is hard to ignore. So what does it mean to be an American? An American can be defined by many unique characteristics and traits. To begin with there is the technical aspect of being an American. Legally there are many ways to be an American. A person may be born in a U.S. State, automatically making them Americans. Also, a person may have one or more parents that are born in America. It’s also possible to apply for citizenship and move…show more content…
We have many liberties and freedoms that are expressed in our constitution. The Bill of Rights outlines the rights we have, one of which is the freedom of speech. As Americans we have the right to say what we want and no be prosecuted. We have the liberty to grow up in unique different ways and to express what we have decided through the decisions we have had. We have input on our government. To be an American means to have a say in what the country will do next, what will happen in our future. Being an American means that we control our future like no on before us. The future of America depends on the people living in it. It’s a grand thing to be an American, to live in a country where prosecution cannot come from saying the wrong
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