The Epic Of America Analysis

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The heart and soul of what America values derives from the American Dream. This idea was explored by James Truslow Adams in his book, “The Epic of America,” written in 1931. In his book, he stated that the American Dream was “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” This essentially means that each person that comes to the US will be given equal respect, have the freedom to do and say what they want, and be given an opportunity to succeed.

Americans treasure freedom the most out of any value. It is defined as being “free to think, speak, and act as they choose as long as they do not offend the freedom and rights of others.” The United States was founded on the fact that every human being is deserving of liberty, and it is known for it
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The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence begins with, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” This means that everyone should be treated equally, no matter their race, gender, social class, or any other characteristic. But ironically, up until 1865, the southern part of our country was full of enslaved African Americans, being mistreated purely because of their race. This problem has been reduced today, but even so, most minority groups still do not receive the same treatment as the majority ones. For example, African-Americans are sentenced to longer jail times than white people, for the same crimes. And with our newly elected president, race has become even more of an issue. He has repeatedly insulted minority groups on Twitter and in his speeches, and giving plaudits to people who do the same. Over the last couple years, black men have been shot by white policemen, provoking protests, some that even turned into riots. Even though equality is a very important value in the US, not all people are treated the same as

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