Essay On Being American

To be American does not mean you were born here and can trace back your ancestors back to the Mayflower. What it means to be American is to have pride in the country, to contribute in a positive way, how pay respect to the flag and how you speak about the country to people in other parts of the world, and whether you stand for what you believe in and use your freedom of speech in ways others in different countries can’t. America is a giant melting pot and has been that way since the earliest of days weather you have family who went through Ellis island, the Mexican border, or as a refugee from Syria if you live in this country and have contributed by voting, taking part in helping the economy, or simply by respecting the flag you are american. Being American does not mean you discriminate people of other races,religion,or sexual orientation because being American you are taught that everybody is equal and everybody has the right to live their lives without persecution in this country. Harry S. Truman has one of the best quotes on what being American means “You know that being an American is more than a matter of where your parent came from it is a belief that all men are created free and equal and that everybody deserves an even break.” …show more content…
Having the power of freedom of speech means you can stand for what you believe in whenever and however you want. This does mean you have the right to riot and destroy and go insane because you are not being heard. Having this power means you can say what you want without having any type of restrictions on what to say or having a bad consequence to what you did say. This right has been practiced throughout the history of America from the women's right activist in the middle of the 18 century, protest of the Vietnam war and the civil rights movement and today's protest of the black lives matter