...“To be American (unlike being English or French or whatever) is precisely to imagine a destiny rather than inherit one; since we have always been, insofar as we are Americans at all, inhabitants of myth rather than history.” In the context of this quote attributed to Leslie Fiedler, being American means subscribing to a socially constructed national identity--to the collective American Dream. This observation expresses a core truth about Americans, and about an American greatness that is in fact exceptional, but it is also problematic in several ways. First, the public has never felt compelled to fix the meaning of the American Dream, a term that presumably everyone knows. Second, while Fielder’s assertion is true of Americans, it is not uniquely so: All people, in some sense or another, inhabit myths. Finally, while Americans have certainly imagined destinies for themselves, they also live in history. Everyone does. The American Dream is neither a self-evident falsehood nor a scientifically demonstrable principle. Beyond the abstract belief that anything is possible if you want it bad enough, there is no single American Dream. The theoretical basis for the American idea incorporates an explicit allegiance to the concept “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But as the history of slavery and the struggle for women’s rights make clear, the rights...
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...It Mean To Be An American? For hundreds of years the United States has been attracting immigrants from a variety of different countries, races, and religions to come live in a land full of freedom and opportunity. These people were looking for more than just rights and privileges. Their real desire was to become something that represents pride and honor, an American. Being an American means much more than living in the United States. Along with the name come a number of different benefits such as, freedom of speech to express your own opinion, freedom of religion, and equality for all, including different sexes, races, religions and status. As an American you have the right to speak your mind. Expressing one’s opinion is a big part of being American. This particular freedom enables us to serve our country, as we stand up for what is both right and just. Being American also means that not only do we have the opportunity to overcome challenges by coming together to find solutions that those from other countries can’t but we also have the freedom to worship as we please. Unlike other countries, American’s are not defined in terms of religion. This question was posted on my Facebook page for some insight. As expected, some of the comments were uneducated dribble. One comment that stood out came from my brother-in-law. He is a Swedish citizen but resides in the United States. He wrote “The question is mind-bogglingly complex. To be American (or from any 1st world...
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...Ryan Woods English Miss Orenstein April 5, 2011 To be…or not to be an American Separation and more specifically oppression has been a staple of the United States of America ever since it was settled back in the 17th century. As soon as they stepped foot off the boats, the immigrants fleeing Europe immediately saw other people and saw them as different and even as far as calling them savages. All of the native people who were living there before had their land taken from them and were beginning to be pushed west. This oppression of certain races continued long after the Mayflower hit the America’s shores. Next, the white man separated himself apart from blacks. Africans were enslaved because the “New World” needed free labor to jumpstart the economy and also because they were seen as being different than white people. It would have been very difficult to sustain a decent economy if people had to hire workers instead of having free labor with their slaves. It was not until the Declaration of Independence that someone finally acknowledged the idea of every man being equal and having the same rights. It was Thomas Jefferson who wrote that, “All men are created equal” in the opening line of the Declaration of Independence. The only thing wrong with the statement Jefferson made is that it is completely contradictory to the fact that he owned a slave and so did many others of the founding fathers. The Civil Rights Movement was the next significant step in this racial...
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...Popular Culture Becomes Global Popular culture didn't require satellite television and the Internet to become global. When the first explorers took to the seas or traveled overland routes to distant places, they were influenced by, and returned with, examples of other cultures' popular art, artifacts and customs, such as drinking coffee. If that hadn't caught on, Starbucks would be stuck trying to sell cups of hot, frothy milk for three bucks a pop. The masses were usually not the first to experience exotic forms of popular culture, but they were exposed to them over time. The mixture of popular elements of different cultures was also one of the factors that began to blur the lines between popular and fine arts. While Kabuki Theater was accessible to all classes of Japanese people, Europe's aristocrats initially regarded it as high art. The Age of Industrialization: Relax, Enjoy In the case of popular arts especially (theater, dance, music and more recently movies and television), the masses must have sufficient time and resources to enjoy these arts. Technology is the catalyst that made this possible. Even though many 19th-century industrial laborers worked long hours, they did not generally work the dawn-to-dusk, seven-day-a-week schedules of agrarian toilers—cows need milking even on the Sabbath—and industrial laborers had more money in their pockets. This enabled them to enjoy entertainment venues and engage in hobbies, crafts and recreation outside their work lives....
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...John Fitzgerald Kennedys inaugural address to the American citizens on January 20, 1961 gave the people a sense of comfort and confidence in their young leader that was desperately needed at the time. He took full advantage of the three areas of rhetorical speech: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, paired along with other literary tools such as allusion, diction, and comparison. President Kennedy opens his speech by establishing credibility, or ethos, “For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.” He uses the reference of the forefathers or “forebears” to make a grand entrance into his speech and already get the audience to pay attention for he is about to make a big speech. Kennedy appeals to the pathos of his audience by using several effective choices of diction. By describing the responsibilities passed on to the new generation of Americans, Kennedy invokes nationalistic feelings in the listening citizens. He points to the resiliency of the United States and the need for the people to continue to support the ideals of freedom that have made the country so successful. The people were challenged to “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” Kennedy successfully appeals to the pathos of the audience in order to establish his views...
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...WRITING ASSIGNMENT Topic: To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement. Human activity has been a major cause climate change. People have substantially contributed to the multiple direction development of the world. They have entirely composed the world better and better. However, what human have done for their environment contributing to the destroyable life in recent decades in terms of climate change. Climate change can be defined as the long- term shift in weather conditions identified by changes in temperature, precipitation, winds, and other indicators. Climate change is caused by many factors, therefore, to some extent, human activity has subsidized to the effects of climate change on people’s life with two primary causes: industrial activities, and land use changes. Firstly, the development of industry for recent year has mainly risen the dangerous level of climate change. Constantly, the huge number of Carbon dioxide has been emitted to the atmosphere by resulting from automobiles, industry, electric power plants. Electricity is considered as the main factor causing CO2. The reliable prediction is given that manufacturing electricity in the future will cause the increase CO2 emissions from 10 billion tonnes per year to 12.5 billion tonnes per year (Climate Change – The Science. 2014) . The high Carbon dioxide rate directly effects on the changing of climate process. Human-related emissions are responsible for the increase that has occurred in the...
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...The model of a self-made man, Andrew Jackson, a man who thought he was a man for the people, was able to become more than he expected, and became the 7th United States of America. Andrew Jackson was one of the best U.S. Presidents’ America has ever had. Even before he was president, he was considered a great leader. He would sit down with his men, asking them to not endure more than he could. When Jackson found out that there were still British forces still in a U.S. city, he charged in, and took back the city of New Orleans. He was later considered a National Hero when he defended New Orleans from a British army, even though the war was over months earlier. Though he achieved great things for America, the controversial tactics Jackson used to accomplish his goals earned him a conflicted legacy. The way Jackson was able to complete such tasks is more controversial than what he is known for. Even though Jackson could be considered crude, there are reasons why Jackson could be considered to be a really great hero by most of the people. President of the One of the many things that President Jackson had done that made the people he was a hero was that he tore down the National Bank. One of the reasons why Jackson did this was because he thought that the National bank was corrupt, which in the end it was, because the bank was run by a small group of elite...
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...Exam II: Study Guide ESSAY PORTION: 1. Be able to explain agency capture theory and why director Charles Ferguson argues that it explains the causes of the financial crisis which struck the United States in 2008. Be able to present the evidence Ferguson provides in his documentary “Inside Job” as discussed in class and outlined on the board that agency capture theory was a primary cause of the crisis. Also be able to explain the securitization food chain and the role of AIG in the crisis. (*** Long Essay Question) 2. Be able to explain the relationship between rising inequality and the interest group system that Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson claim to demonstrate in their book Winner Take All Politics as discussed in class. Also be able to explain the meaning of majoritarian pluralism and biased pluralism as defined by Gilens and Page in their study, which I posted on Moodle Rooms for you. 3. Understand what Duverger’s Law is and be able to explain how SMD and PR electoral systems work and what their relative advantages and disadvantages are. 4. Understand the difference between “judicial restraint” and “judicial activism” (pg. 471) as well as “originalism” (pg. 468) and “living constitution theory” (pg. 469). 1. A Judicial Restraint * Argues the judiciary should usually defer to the judgment of legislatures 1. A Judicial Activism * Court’s unique role vis-à-vis legislatures ...
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...Blair, Lauri Journal #3 African-American Consumers and the Economic March 30, 2010 202-07 Dr.Ferdnance 1) Create a detailed consumer profile of the average African-American household. Find the average income, wealth, and primary purchases of the African-American household. Compare and contrast the consumption pattern of the African-American with European, Asian, and Hispanic Americans. African-American household Average income- $37,150 Wealth- $6,000 White Household Average income- $55,463 Wealth- $88,000 Comparing African American households to European, Asian and Hispanic Americans, African Americans have the lowest income. Second of all, in response to a lower income theoretically one would think that African Americans would save more and spend less and begin to invest, yet in response to poor financially education, and decisions African Americans spend more than any other race on materialistic things. African Americans spend a large amount and above any other races median in clothing, video game hardware, pc software and shoes. African Americans have been found to be very brand loyal to body soap, sneakers, potato chips, soda, hair products, and cookies and nail polish. African-American/Black Market profile found that African Americans are very persuaded through marketing, such as commercials, music videos, radios, and locals ads to buying cars, car accessories, communication gadgets and cosmetic products, and theses products are not being differentiated...
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...Meeks 1 Michelle Meeks Dr. Jon Glover ENC 1102 (MTWR 12:45) July 26, 2012 Richard Cory: The American Tragedy, The American Revolution Primary Sources 1. Robinson, Edwin Arlington. Richard Cory. 1897. Edwin Robinson wrote a short narrative poem about a man, Richard Cory. Robinson describes Richard Cory as a man who is wealthy, admired, educated, stylish, and modest. At the end of the poem the feeling of admiration changes to shock after it was revealed that Richard Cory "went home and put a bullet through his head." Robinson taught the moral "money doesn't buy happiness" through the magic of envy. 2. Simon, Paul. Richard Cory. 1966. Literature In Paul Simon's adaptation of Richard Cory he reconceived the original poem and added a chorus that emphasized a separate truth. Simon talks about Richard Cory being Meeks 2 "born into society" and painted a picture of Cory being a wealthy playboy with tones like "the orgies on his yacht." Simon wants his readers/listeners to view Richard Cory as a type of lifestyle. Secondary Sources 3. Morse, David E. Avant-Rock in the Classroom. The English Journal, Vol. 58, No. 2 (Feb., 1969), pp. 196-200+297. Print. This article suggests that using avant-rock in the classroom the students would show more interest in literature. "The whole avant-rock movement clearly challenges the traditional notions of what is literature." Morse believes that by doing this they will bring many students who react sentimentally to...
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...American Colonists: English or American? A Look Into American Life Before And After The French-Indian War During the time leading up to the French and Indian War, American colonists were decidedly more English in their lifestyle than they were American. Having recently emigrated from England, the peoples were still very culturally influenced by their “home” country. The colonists still practiced many of the same traditions and religions as they did before. The colonies, all except one, were planted, supported, and established by English companies. The majority of the people sent over were from England so they were doing what they knew already. Although the colonies were across the Atlantic Ocean from England, the British government was still in control over the colonies. At this time the Americans did not seem to mind this, as they had always followed and been under British rule. England was also believed to be “invincible” so why would the Americans try to break away from the largest empire to become a small, weak country? Before the French and Indian War there was no reason to break away from Britain, everything seemed to working out fine. For the most part, colonists lived as they would in England because that is how they lived before and since it continued to work there was no need for change. Lastly, the term “American” was not defined yet considering America was not fully established, was not its own country, and most of the people living there lived as they would...
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...American Places, American Lives Jessica Hernandez American Autobiography/ENG208 Week Two Individual Assignment October 27, 2014 Ms. Dorothy Barton Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835. He was raised in Hannibal, a small town on the banks of the Mississippi. In 1857, being away from Mississippi for several years, Twain fulfilled his boyhood dream by becoming a pilot on a riverboat. Growing up in Mississippi, Twain’s only ambition was to be a pilot on a riverboat (Twain, p.197). The town was drowsy in the sunshine of the summer’s morning; the streets were empty; a few clerks sat on splintered chairs outside their stores, with hats over their face while they were asleep. Nobody paid attention to the peaceful waves of the Mississippi but the town came alive when they heard a steamboat coming (Twain, p198). Twain’s focus was on steamboats and the Mississippi (particularly Walnut Bend). Twain remarked how handsome a steamboat was and his attention to detail showed his desire for the American dream of being a pilot. He focused on the architecture of the steamboat and the natural elements of Walnut Bend. “She is long, sharp, trim, and pretty; two tall fancy-topped chimneys; a fancy pilot-house, all glass and gingerbread; and a flag gallantly flying from the jack-staff (Twain, p198). This was Twain’s view of his future even before being on the boat. Along the river, Twain was able to remember every Island, town, bars, points, masses of lumber, and bends of Walnut...
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...American Capitalism and American Democracy have always gone hand in hand for the entire history of the United States since it's founding, and many say one cannot exist without the other. Many people today commonly associate Capitalism with Democracy when asked about the United States in general. But this statement is inherently flawed; capitalism is based on profits for the few while democracy is based on rights for many. Cities have been in existence for several thousand years, as much as seven thousand by some accounts (Henslin, 2006). They usually are built near transportation routes or areas rich in natural resources. They can only exist as long as there is the means for producing surplus food and other necessary supplies. Cities grow at different rates and for different reasons and there are different types of cities, or urban centers. Metropolis, megalopolis, and megacity are terms used to classify cities by size. An understanding of the beginning of common schooling in the United States requires attention to such social changes as urbanization, early industrialization, and patterns of immigration, all in the northeastern United States. Ideologically, the common school era was rooted in classical liberalism, which had practical consequences in urban New England different from those in rural Jeffersonian Virginia. These variations were due to differences in regional political economy as well as shifts in religious thought. While Jefferson had encountered difficulty gaining...
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...The American Revolution occurred due to many factors from 1763 to 1775 that caused American Colonists to develop a stronger sense of autonomy and self-government from the British Empire. After the French and Indian War in 1763, the British Empire had imposed higher and more strict mercantilist imperial controls and taxes on the American Colonists. The American Colonists, however, heavily resisted the imperialistic control from the British and soon saw British troops march in Lexington and Concord in 1775. The American Colonists' resistance to British control was a major factor that caused the heavy tension between American and British political officials before the Revolution. For example, American Colonists forced the abolition of the Stamp...
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