...Freedom, to many people does not necessarily mean they are free. There are many degrees and definitions of freedom throughout the history of America many different races, genders, and ethnicities experienced. The varieties of freedom come from multiple groups of people such as slaves, indentured servants, Native Americans, property owners, and Puritans. All of these groups had their own definition of freedom they experienced, ranging from little to no freedom, freedom from the land they possessed, and the freedom to worship any God they so choose. However, some of these freedoms conflicted with the freedoms of others. First and foremost, there were many groups of people who had little to no freedom in seventeenth – century North America. Among these people, there were the slaves who were forced upon their will to come over to America from Africa and work for the masters who claimed them. Slaves by far had the least amount of freedom given to them when they came to America. In slave work on the plantations is described in the words of Eric Foner as “far more demanding than in the household slavery common to in Africa, and death rate among slaves much higher” (p. 98). This shows how slaves had little to no freedom to choose how much or how long they wanted to work and the lifestyle the slaves lived was dictated by their masters. Another group of settlers that came to America to try and start a new life for were the indentured servants. These indentured servants, being about...
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...States of America in order to earn the name of an American. Becoming an American is an important event to the lives of millions. Some of the people will ask themselves what is an American? An American is patriotism and freedom. The primary definition of an American is patriotism. Patriotism can be known as devotion to one’s country. John McCain, however, defines patriotism in a different way. He states” Patriotism is a love and a duty, a love of country expressed in good citizenship” (McCain, John; “Cause Greater Than Itself”). The important aspects of patriotism is portrayed in this quote. What McCain is trying to explain in this quote is that patriotism is more than loving your country, it’s something you should do. It is also something than everyone expresses in just being a citizen. An American with patriotism is a job to all of us. Second way to define an American is freedom. The most known thought of America is “The Land of the Free”, meaning we are known as a place of freedom. In “What Is an American” De Crevecoeur states, “Those lands confer on them the title of a freeman” (De Crevecoeur; “What Is an American”). The “lands” he is talking about is America, which is giving the people who live there the title of freedom. In conclusion an American is differently defined. Though one might never actually find the perfect definition of an American, it can somehow be found in everyone. In many, they would say an American is patriotism and...
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...American Freedom History Student Name Tutor Date Since the year 1863, Americans have for a long time defined freedom as a battle that was required to be fought in order for the American ideal and moral justice to be preserved. The struggle for freedom in America was enriched with events that are essential for the shaping of the history of America. On the issue of the struggle for freedom, America has been at war with itself as well as with others. Martin Luther King Junior wrote “letter from Birmingham Jail” at a time he was fighting the battle on freedom in 1963. He wrote this letter as a response to some of his critics. He also noticed that there were injustices in America against the population composed of African Americans (Foner, 2005) Anne Moody reveals how impoverished her life was as an African American due to injustices brought about due to lack of freedom. She would take beans for dinner and survived on only one shoe. All of this was due to the fact that her mother never had a decent job. Her last words in her context of coming to age, “I wonder. I really wonder” clearly portray the war on freedom she was going through. America faced a lot of problems during period such as, voting rights, political participation, freedom of expression, and inflation of goods. Many of these problems resulted in rioting and also boycotting of goods. Freedom of political participation was hindered, in that, one had to qualify in terms of property to be declared legible to vote...
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...AnRachel Breuer An American History of Freedom Throughout history, the word “freedom” has taken on many definitions. After all, freedom is a relative concept in general. There is no one set definition, as the word itself changes over time and is based off the society in which the word is being applied. As Eric Foner points out, “The Story of American freedom is not simply a saga of a fixed set of rights to which one group after another has gained access, but a tale of debates, disagreements and struggles, with lots of bumps and wrong turns along the way.” Throughout our history, America has been through several wars and problems, each causing a change in its definition of freedom; helping form the free country that it is today. Freedom has always been a topic in the American way of life. This does not mean however, that freedom has meant the same thing to all Americans at all points in time. In fact, over time, the focus of freedom has changed dramatically over time. During the American Revolution, soon-to-be Americans fought in the name of liberty and independence. Britain had always had a view of freedom as the submission to authority. When Americans arrived on the land, they realized this was no longer appropriate. Thomas Jefferson maid this clear as liberty was included as one of the “unalienable rights” in the Declaration of Independence. (http://www.dannyscl.net/academic/). The problem, however, is that the Declaration of Independence asserted that “all men are created...
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...Rachelle Jordan Professor Christina Dahl English 53H 17 May 2015 Land of the free. Home of the slave. America makes sure that everyone else in the world is aware that people in the United States live in a state of freedom, yet this is not as true as people would like it to be. Americans are free to do the things that do not break the laws that the government has enforced. Government action will not help deliver the freedom to the people. Americans are free, but only to a certain point. Most people are afraid to challenge controversial issues and express their true opinions and feelings because they fear what society will think. This limits freedom because people feel forced to conform to societies norms in the United States. Everyone has the...
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...August 25, 2013 Mr. Meeks American Literature What is an American? When immigrants come to America, it is for certain reasons that their newly found land is now their home. Many immigrants choose America as their destination because of their overcrowded cities, in search of religion, a chance to manage their own land to have a better lifestyle, and to have a chance to make a better living. Also, to have less government interference and a greater voice of government are all reasons to get the attention of immigrants to travel to America. An essay well written by the author by the name of Michael-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur, was a French immigrant who sought on the ideas on what is an American. He arrived in New York in 1759 spending ten years as a surveyor and a trader. In 1782, he publishes a collection of twelve essays called Letters of an American Farmer under the name of J. Hector St. John, before he published What is an American? These immigrants at the time were looking for a new place to settle to have an equal opportunity for land and freedom, but the meaning of a true American is the question on everyone’s minds. Me belief on what is an American is the current or natural born citizen living in America that can be a part of a culture, and live life to the fullest. Americans can be natural born citizens, and/or immigrants that come from all over the world. America was a prime destination for immigrants due to the fact that you had freedom, and opportunity. You...
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...Hannah Dada 396809 Definitions that need clarification: • African identity- this term will be used interchangeable. (1) realizing the African continent commonality, (2) the culture and behavior of the slaves (African born and creoles)—basically what defines the slaves’ identity. • Creoles- (1) Atlantic creoles that are phenotypically and culturally mixed with African and European cultures. The Dynamic African identity: Coping with Slavery Upon considering the changes and the creation of an “African” identity (definition 2), it is important to realize that similar to the constantly changing slavery due to the frequent shifts in the social, political, and economic contexts, the “African” identity was also dynamic. Although the overall reason that prompted the development of the notion of the African continent (definition 1) might be similar across the board of slavery, the specifics of what constituted this identity (ex: religion, family formation) is largely dependent on the time period and region being discussed—ex: the 17th Century African identity in North America is different from the 18th Century identity in Europe. Several factors that enhanced the creation of the African identity (definition 2) include: (1) ability to form families as a result of the gender ratio, mortality rates, segregation from other slaves, (2) population ratio of native-born to creolized slaves, and (3) religious movement that were characteristic of the time and space. These...
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...DeVry University The topic of same sex marriage has been hotly debated in the American culture for years with the question being, do we afford same sex couples legal marital rights at the potential expense of religious freedom? We see arguments from both sides of this issue struggling with the morality of this matter. Both sides give valid moral arguments claiming why they are the superior choice, but it is the legal aspects that provide the most challenges to be addressed. Many terms in the legal definitions must be modified in order to protect the rights of all Americans in order to bring our Constitutional statements in line with our modern society. After all, our country was founded on the concept of “Freedom and Justice for All” and we can see from a legal stand point how that statement has continued to be challenged and redefined. The Federal laws definitions, along with certain constitutional rights, are presenting those challenges which must be accosted in order to protect the rights of all Americans, be they for, or against the idea of same sex marriage. Equal rights for all people have been the motivation in most social movements in our nation. Prime examples include the Civil Rights Movement for African-Americans and other non-Caucasian citizens as well as the Woman’s Rights Movement for equality. These movements were spawned from groups of people that were left out of the definition for equality and treated as “second class citizens”. These challenges continue...
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...The voices of freedom that I chose was on the topic of slavery and what the word “freedom” meant. The Union and Confederacy used the same words but different meaning. In a letter, written on April 17, 1861, from Thomas F. Drayton to his brother Percival, an officer in the U.S. Navy, defends his support to the confederacy cause. He was a South Carolina plantation owner and ally for the confederacy succession. He explains that the confederacy is not fighting to defend slavery, instead, it is fighting for their own freedom. Abraham Lincoln was an United States president from the spring of 1861 to spring of 1865 when he was assassinated. He made an address to Sanitary Fair, Baltimore that discussed the different meanings of freedom on April 18,1864....
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...Happiness’ definition is not a motionless feeling; it evolves as people age. While we are young we see happiness as living life with excitement and adventure; however, when we get old we see happiness with inter-peace. Since the definition of happiness varies there are no overall elements that should be required for something to be considered happiness. The definition of happiness is done on an individual feeling of how happiness is defined in their lives. I think it all starts with the way we are raised and how our parent view life is stamped into our physic that brings us to our conclusions of happiness. Cultural myths I think are not much a factor as cultural beliefs of what brings happiness to a cultural as a whole. Additionally, a cultural definition of happiness is an evolving emotion that never stops defining itself in any culture. Happiness has been distorted by American media should be mostly used as a vehicle of selling products and services, not used to define happiness in our society; that if this was a perfect world. Regrettably, Americans uses the media and advertising as a guideline for happiness. Americans are told for a woman to be successful she must look like a model, so many of our young girls are making themselves sick or even worst killing themselves to find the happiness that is portrayed in the media and in advertising. In addition, for the young boys the media and advertising is portraying that the only way to be happy is to be an...
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...Alan Chen ASAM 320 Asian American Dream “Thus as individuals and as a people, in the home, on the job, in the classrooms, and on the street, we have had to make choices.”(Iijima 2) Choices that make the American Dream possible. Asian Americans attain the American Dream by examples in music, literature, visual arts, and graphic novels. Asian Americans have worked hard to succeed and have freedom without the government intervene. Three examples are “A Grain of Sand” music for the struggle by Asian in America, “Shortcomings” by Adrian Tomin, and music from Sudden Rush, “EA” and K-Pop, which explains Asian Americans obtain the American Dream. American Dream is a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers. The term American Dream is used in many ways, but it is an idea that suggests that anyone in the United States can succeed through hard work and have the potential to lead a happy, successful life. Many people have expanded upon the definition to include things such as freedom, fulfillment and meaningful. The American dream is achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking and hard work, not by chance. In “A Grain of Sand”, “You are the music You are the song You are the ones To whom the future belongs,” (Iijima – Miyatmoto 3) this shows the freedom that helps make you succeed in life and prosper. In the article, the poem, “Wandering...
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...The African Americans after the Civil War simply desired freedom and equality. However, the definition of freedom varied between people and they began to question freedom spread throughout society. To the African Americans, freedom was when people, regardless of race, were not bound to another man but had the ability to work for themselves while receiving the benefits of their labor. They should be entitled to owning land and using it for their own purposes. Being free from the punishments that came with being a slave played a major role in shaping their definition. The person must have the opportunity for education without restriction along with the ability to establish churches and schools. The right to vote was also an important part of...
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...The American Dream is the ability to access basic human freedoms like justice and free speech. I wouldn’t go as far as saying meritocracy exists as I see in reality that is not the way it works. For the most part, I think the stereotypical definition of the American Dream is an idea people cling to like the last ember on the fire after you have run out of wood to heat the house in the winter. You need it to go on. It helps validate that those crappy jobs you worked for 15 years meant something other than getting screamed at by your boss. It helps us believe that we can have material possessions and higher social status than those before us. I define it as the ability to access basic human freedoms. In America, we have The Constitution of Amendments,...
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...concepts are known as metaparadigm of nursing. American Nurses Association defines nursing as “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities and populations”. The first metaparadigm is the person and the American Nurses Association definition incorporates the importance of the patients served, the individual, their families and their communities. This could be the individual who need help with nursing care, families who are undergoing stress with several issues and need further assistance, and finally the community or a population is undergoing thorough a disaster effects. A person has the ability to think, interact and communicate each other. Each person has their own needs and all those needs to be met according to the standards of care. Second concept is environment, and the definition of American Nurses Association is associated with the protection, promotion, and optimization of abilities, prevention of illness and injury, we need to provide a safe and comfortable environment for an individual to live in a healthy atmosphere. It is not necessary to be in the hospital, but it can be in their home or any other places. Health is the third concept and it is an important factor, when we put together with definition of American Nurses Association, health is not just the prevention...
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...economic issues. b. Analyze how technological innovation has affected economic development and society. c. Explain how interpretations of the Constitution and debates over rights, liberties, and definitions of citizenship have affected American values, politics, and society. d. Explain how interpretations of the Constitution and debates over rights, liberties, and definitions of citizenship have affected American values, politics, and society. 2. The Transformation of the West Group 1 e. Explain how different group identities, including racial, ethnic, class, and regional identities, have emerged and changed over time. f. Explain how popular movements, reform efforts, and activist groups have sought to change American society and institutions. g. Analyze relationships among different regional, social, ethnic, and racial groups, and explain how these groups’ experiences have related to U.S. national identity. h. Analyze causes of internal migration and patterns of settlement in what would become the United States, and explain how migration has affected American life. Group 2 i. Explain how ideas about democracy, freedom, and individualism found expression in the development of cultural values, political institutions, and American identity. j. Explain how geographic and environmental factors shaped the development of various communities, and analyze how competition for and debates over natural resources have affected both interactions...
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