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What Does it Mean to Be American?

Usually when Fourth of July rolls around, it means thinking about who’s invited to the barbecue, which campground will be least crowded, or where to find the best fireworks.

But here at GMT, we like to observe holidays the old-fashioned way and reflect. Sure, we could rattle on about our forefathers and what the Fourth of July stands for. Instead, we invite you to answer a simple question:

WhatItMeanstoBeAmerican

“What does it mean to be American?”

Please share your personal response here. We are looking for diverse, honest answers —  we want YOUR take on this question — what does being American mean to you?

Please limit your response to 350 words.

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9 comments

  1. I’ve never been more conscious of my nationality than when I lived abroad or traveled to other countries. It’s easy to forget about until you suddenly find yourself being processed through an immigration office or introduced to someone as an American rather than someone from Phoenix or Arizona. And in many countries, “being American” doesn’t make you popular. Take your pick, from our foreign policy to our dark history, not everyone is fond of us “Americans”.

    Nonetheless, it was during these times that I developed my deepest sense of what “being American” means to me. There is no guarantee I would have the same appreciation for diversity, my eclectic taste, my love of nature, or be as independent or as adventurous as I am had I not lived my unique experience here as a U.S. citizen.

    
I realize my experience is just one out of a sea of experiences I could have had. I have a “Japanese” and a “white” family. My parents divorced when I was eight, and I was raised by my father. Ours was a non-religious household. I grew up in Sacramento, named the most diverse city in the country in 2002 by TIME magazine. I lived near beautiful landscapes I was free to roam with a bike or a car. I had access to food, electricity, clean water, a roof over my head, an education, and all the resources an urban upbringing could afford — and what so many of us take for granted — at my fingertips.

    Yet in my travels, I’ve met elderly persons who have never stepped foot outside their hometown, and women who have spent the majority of their lives covered head to toe. I’ve met people who have lived through civil wars, and dissidents who fear for their safety.

    Had I had been born in any other country, their experience could have just as easily been my own.

  2. To be an American means to be yourself – true to your past, your present and your potential. It means to respect one another for being him/herself. If amenable to others, it means to be able to constructively and appropriately communicate about differences in a way that encourages future dialogue. If not amenable to others, it means to be able to accept that differences exist and to not try to change others to our way of thinking or mode of living.

    To be an American means to be loyal, strong, brave, responsible, and above all – and without exception – to be a person of deep and unquestionable integrity. Certainly these are all elements of what it means to be human; because our nation’s people are composed of people from all walks of life, from every land of the earth, from every belief system.

    To be an American means to be blessed with the opportunities to learn, to freely speak and assemble, to worship (or not) in the faith of one’s choosing, to find fulfillment in a self-chosen profession, vocation or field of study. It is to be free to make mistakes and accept their consequences; it is to be empowered with responsibility to learn from the past, live in the present, and prepare for the future.

    • Thank you for contributing, Maryn. How valuable it is to be able to communicate our differences and respect them.

  3. More than twenty years ago, two weeks before my wedding, I was forced to cancel the ceremony because my fiancé was shipped overseas. On the day I would have been married I struggled with the idea that I had to give up my husband for the sake of another man’s freedom. It was on that day that I began to recognize the sacrifice our forefathers made to present us with the freedom and independence we have today. Eventually my fiancé did come home and yes, we did finally marry….and that country he fought for does have a certain level of freedom and liberty than it did before.]

    Being an American means that we honor those who sacrificed with life and limb to gain the freedom and independence that we enjoy so much today. Each of us enjoys the freedom to live our lives according to our own choices. Many would suggest that our nation has lost their way as they have sought to challenge our rights to certain freedoms or to remove our right to privacy. I can’t help but to look at the creativity and ingenuity that comes out of this nation as we engage in the pursuit of happiness. Our freedom to worship God in whatever way that we choose elicits not only a search for truth, but also a sense of contentment within those who believe they have attained it. The establishment of a democracy gains every American a voice toward the progression of this great nation. It is the free exercise of that voice that presents America with the independence and liberty to go where their choices have taken them. This has given America a natural flow of creativity and talent like no other nation. The variety of music and artistic abilities demonstrated within our nation leaves me feeling excited and proud to be an American.

    • Thank you for sharing your story, Jodie. I’m glad to hear it ended on a happy note. I agree that our creativity and ingenuity in this country is astounding.

  4. James P. Haley, II

    An American is a Muslim, an Atheist, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, etc. An American is correct, incorrect, gay, straight, left, right, black, brown, red, yellow, white, generous, greedy, happy, depressed, angry, loving, sick, healthy, addicted, and recovering. I thank God, am an American.

    “What it means to be an American is less about who you are than what you are about… how you live your life, how you contribute to this country, how you pledge allegiance to a flag hoping and praying it will make room for you. What it means to be an American is in the hearts of the people who, in their struggles and heartaches, in their joys and triumphs, fight for America and fight to be American every day.” (Jose Antonio Vargas)

  5. It wasn’t until I lived in a houseful of international students in the 70’s and 80’s that I even began to identify as American. My extended family became students from all over the world who came to Kansas State University to study agriculture..and found their way to my mothers’ boarding house. We had a big, rambling 17 bedroom house filled with students from Nigeria, Germany, Korea, Iran, Nicaragua, China, Ethiopia, and India. It was living with students from other countries that I began to learn just how many freedoms I took for granted having had the sheer luck to be born an American. Freedoms including free speech to criticize the government without being jailed or banned for life or have my life threatened and access to education which was given to me without having to ‘earn a spot at the table’. And a belief embedded in ‘Being American’ that whatever circumstances you are born in to you can still carve out your own future and make your own success in this world. That’s always been our strong suit. I hope we never loose it.

  6. I’ve worked with people from other counties that have made me appreciate being an American more. We are given unlimted opportunities to make our lives successful. People risk their lives daily to try to get those opportunities.

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