It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. That is about the number that I want to write, so if I could copy one in here that would be phenomenal. However, I can 't, and therefore must write about what it means to be an American. It is the tendency of people to identify themselves with a group. Whether that be a team, a state, town, gang, school, country, it doesn 't really matter. People love to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and countries are no different and definitively fall into this category. Countries are normally relatively simple to group. For thousands of years, wherever you lived or your religion generally determined what nationality you were. Even today that is a part of determining whether or not
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Now, in order to discuss this, we need a working definition of the American dream. The one that I will choose is the hope for a better future through hard work and self-improvement, not only for yourself but for others. A true American will possess some aspect of this. A true American will acknowledge that we honestly do live in the land of opportunity, and be grateful for the chances that they as well as their children and friends have. This is an integral part of what makes America the country that it is, and therefore is essential in making a person a true American. A person is able to better himself or herself in ways impossible to do in other countries when they live in America. Some people may not appreciate this, and I say that if they don 't, then they are not true Americans, and are squandering the great gift that they have received. Additionally, an American will extend this optimistic outlook for the future to people other than themselves. For years, America has welcomed immigrants with open arms, wanting to share our prosperity with all willing to make the journey to citizenship. Now, I won 't get into the current immigration situation, but the fact remains that sharing the American dream plays a vital role in our country 's past, present and
Now, in order to discuss this, we need a working definition of the American dream. The one that I will choose is the hope for a better future through hard work and self-improvement, not only for yourself but for others. A true American will possess some aspect of this. A true American will acknowledge that we honestly do live in the land of opportunity, and be grateful for the chances that they as well as their children and friends have. This is an integral part of what makes America the country that it is, and therefore is essential in making a person a true American. A person is able to better himself or herself in ways impossible to do in other countries when they live in America. Some people may not appreciate this, and I say that if they don 't, then they are not true Americans, and are squandering the great gift that they have received. Additionally, an American will extend this optimistic outlook for the future to people other than themselves. For years, America has welcomed immigrants with open arms, wanting to share our prosperity with all willing to make the journey to citizenship. Now, I won 't get into the current immigration situation, but the fact remains that sharing the American dream plays a vital role in our country 's past, present and