Identity as an American

I am a white American woman with heritage from all around the world. I am a Christian who strongly believes in and loves God. My great-grandparents owned homesteads here in Fort Myers. I am a third generation Florida Cracker and was born and raised in Fort Myers, FL. I believe that family is the most important thing on earth. I believe that everyone in a community should help each other and build one another up. I think that everyone needs support; families support one another, families support other families, communities support the cities, cities support our country, and countries support the world. I am American.

The American Dream

To me I imagine the American Dream as having a new chance at life. Being in a country where you can start fresh and be free to live the life you want and believe whatever you like. Where you have people around you that are going through similar things as you and can relate to your life and the problems you are going through. I picture it where you have a community of people who all work together to help make they're town a better place, which would spread all the surrounded cities, eventually making our country and maybe even our world a better place to live. I see people supporting and encouraging one another, not judging on their pasts or what they look like or how much money they have. Where everyone can be proud that they are an American citizen yet also be proud of their heritage and the cultures of where they're families originated. I see the American dream where everyone is equal, and where everyone is happy and considered as one.

Who and What is American?

Lewis Lapham wrote the article, "Who and What is Amercian?", which discusses the controversy over what really makes an American. He talks about the American government and all the differences in culture, race, political and moral views, and religious beliefs that spread throughout the large majority of people who traveled from all across the world to live freely, together as one. Lepham greatly talked about the want to be alike to one another and how we all Americans have an ideal image of what I would like to call the "Perfect American" in our minds. He also later on in his article wrote more about the government controversies of America and stated, "...the institutions of American government were meant to support the liberties of the people not the ambitions of the state"(11).

When I think of America, I think of people of every shape, color, accent, and beliefs. I typically do not think of this one image of what makes an American, although I would be lying if I said I never have. But when you really think about it, an American is really just people from all over the world who come together with all their different skills and knowledge and work together to help make the best of what is around them. Working together, teaching each other, and sharing stories from their past, whether it be from families who traveled from all across the world on ships or someone who flew across the country to a different city. We as Americans are always striving to become just like the people on T.V., or just like our friends around us, when really we should just be ourselves and treat everyone equally. Lapham wrote, "What joins the Americans one to another is not a common nationality, language, race, or ancestry but rather their complicity in a shared work of the imagination."(11) In my own words, it should not be about how much money you have, what color you are, what you drive, or what kind of clothes you wear, but instead, what are you doing to contribute to your country as an American citizen?