The Other Wes Moore: An Analysis

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Through the eyes of both early Americans and today’s society, represented through the founding documents and Will Allen’s The Other Wes Moore, being an American means demonstrating change and progression. When the colonies became unhappy with the British Crown’s tyranny, they changed and progressed by writing “The Declaration of Independence.” While this change was seen as beneficial towards America’s future, not all changes that America went through were advantageous. The “Articles of Confederation,” for example, represent some of the adverse choices that America made. While the choices that characters faced in The Other Wes Moore were miniscule in comparison to the early American decisions, they still altered the outcome to a situation. As …show more content…
With the new wealth of land America had discovered, new systems and regulations were necessary for the new land. The “Northwest Ordinance” allowed for the new territories and states to have the same rights and liberties as previously existing states (Northwest Ordinance). It states that it is “extending the fundamental principles of civil and religious liberty, which form the basis whereon these republics, their laws and constitutions are erected” for the Northwest Territories (Northwest Ordinance). By allowing this wealth of land to have the same rights as the existing colonies, America was becoming a further developed …show more content…
When Wes Moore switched into a school with a much higher white population, he did not fit in, and after his uncle recommended that he try to get his school and local friends together, it ended up leading to a fight (The Other Wes Moore). After the fight, Wes was basically faced with trying to choose a side, yet both choices had consequences (The Other Wes Moore). The other Wes Moore was exposed to the drug market at an early age, and after being around his brother and seeing people with expensive items, he made the choice to join and assist others in selling drugs (The Other Wes Moore). These choices that the Wes Moores were faced with, all would lead to negative changes, so to them, being an American meant being in social interactions that led to negative

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