The Meaning of American Identity Essay

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Echoes of the Colonial Era in American Identity Essay

The American Identity during the 1700s was still very much in development. Prior to the American Revolution in the latter half of the century, the colonists for the most part considered themselves subjects of England and the British crown. They had a king, they had local governments in their territories with members who represented the crown, but their identity as citizens of an autonomous, independent nation was not nearly as full-fledged as it is today. The American Identity really came into being thanks to writings of individuals like Ben Franklin, whose autobiography laid the blueprint for the American Dream and showed that hard work and self-reliance can lead one to the “promised land” of happiness in America. Likewise, the oppression that many colonial leaders felt under the British and their dislike of having to pay taxes to the crown added to the development of the American Identity. The Boston Tea Party essentially served as the line in the sand incident. Those who would choose to identify as Americans joined the resistance. Those who would choose to identify as British subjects joined the Red Coats. Leaders like George Washington and philosophers like Thomas Paine provided the guidance for Americans during the Revolutionary War and Thomas Jefferson laid out the complaints of the colonists against the King in the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Since then two ways in which the American identity has changed are: (a) the idea of being independent, and (b) the idea of being free. Today, we are entangled in endless foreign wars, have long-standing alliances with countries (like Saudi Arabia and Israel) who probably do not have our best interest at heart.

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Our independence is not at all like it once was and the American identity is now focused not so much on prosperity as it is on how good it is that we spread democracy around the world. Second, the American identity used to emphasize freedom, but with today’s centralized government and the loss of many states rights over the years, there is not much freedom. One cannot even fly on a plane without being suspected of being a terrorist. So many laws exist today that one needs a permit just to walk down the street it sometimes feels.

In the 1700s, it was different, because America was still a frontier and individuals living….....

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References

Avalon Project. (n.d.). Letters from an American Farmer: Letter XII. Retrieved from http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/letter_12.asp

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