Isis Weems

April 20,2016
Mrs. Tillman
AP Language
What does it mean to be an American?

In a sense it means that you are entitled to your own beliefs, morals ,ideas, and
dreams;Youre in control of your own destiny. Being an American means you love who you are
no matter what your ethnic background may be. It means you are part of the most notorious
fraternity in the worlds history,but you have to pay the price.
As a black woman in America I am faced with the fact that because of the color of my
skin I will be overlooked. Opportunities will be lost all because of the melanin in my skin and
the fact that I am a female.However, having to deal with such obstacles can be related to the
struggle of the colonist as they sparred to become Americans. The fight for freedom from
England can be compared to the fight of my ancestors to be American. Yet after 151 years my
people are still fighting to be so called Americans. Americans are those with the pale white
skin, the conservatives, those who believe theyre superior because of the color of the their skin.
Blacks are referred to as African Americans but do we receive the same treatment as those with
the ancestors who were colonists? Yet we are given a title of American but dont receive the
same benefits. Blacks are arrested for things that whites are able to get away with. Our own are
being killed by cops as senseless acts of violence, but does this occur with those who are known
as Americans.
An American is supposed to be a person who is proud to be apart of America. An
American is supposed to be someone who has faith and trust in every American around you no

matter the color of their skin,but like capitalism it didnt live up to expectations. An American is
somebody who is able to obtain the American Dream. In Forbes magazine, Maya Angelou
gives her definition of what she thinks the American Dream is. She states I think that is what
sent the first pioneers away from Europe and caused them to struggle with the Native Americans
here and caused them to bring people, unwillingly from Africa, to indulge in slavery, and it is
what caused the slaves to struggle against slavery.Everyone is looking for freedom, freedom to
live their lives, to control their own destiny. The struggle to obtain this American Dream is a
never ending cycle. There will always be a group of people fighting and struggling to be
American. Yet we are all promised the American Dream. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of
Happiness. As people living in America we are told that we will receive a good life;The liberty to
make your own decisions,and the right to chase your happiness.
In the Book Between The World by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The author tells his story about
being American. He writes This is your country,this is your world,this is your body, and must
find some way to live within the all of it. He believes that as Americans we must find where
we fit in. This is our country that we lives and we must live it the way we want. We shouldnt let
people down us and tell us what an American is.
Coates also writes Americans believe in the reality of race as a defined, indubitable
feature of the natural world. Race is an unquestionable feature of America. It defines who you
are to the people in this country. It gives people an insight on your cultural background,but we
shouldnt be defined by our cultural backgrounds but by the person we are. As a black women
my attitude shouldnt be judged by the attitudes of people of the same races as me. I shouldnt be
defined as having low self confidence just because I choose to wear a weave and not my natural
hair all the time. I shouldnt be defined by the females of my race that get impregnated at age 15

and have three kids by the age of twenty. This comparison can be compared to W.E.B DUBOIS
theory of Double Consciousness. Being perceived as one thing to the public but being
completely different.
The definition of being American is different for everybody. Some people think an
American is somebody who is superior to all living with the nuclear family. Some people may
think its being able to adapt and being flexible while also being accepting to others culture and
backgrounds. Being American is whatever you make it. Being perceived as one thing while
showing who you really are is being American. Being able to push through and be yourself no
matter what is put in front of you is being American. There is much more to being a patriot and
a citizen than reciting the pledge or raising a flag. said by Jesse Ventura. Being an American is
more than just the living the American Dream. Being American is being able to be yourself and
help impact this world positively. Being American means being you and living life as you please.