Indledning
What is an American? There are a lot of answers to that question. Because the present-day Americans are totally different people than they were at the end of the Revolutionary War.
In Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur's letter “What is an American” he presented the idea that immigrants in the newly independent America/USA, would make a new country, which consists of the shared dream of freedom and equality.
An American is a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans, and Swedes. James Hector St. John thinks that specifically this race consists of people, which aren’t ruled by the laws, as much as “normal” Europeans are.
There are people, who don’t have a home and a country in Europe. So, this letter written by Crèvecoeur, discusses what an American was thought to be.
Optimer dit sprog - Læs vores guide og scor topkarakter
Uddrag
But what is the ideal American then? It is a person, which is a “strange mix of blood”, which cannot be found in any other country.
The American was symbolized as a person whose father was English, mother was Dutch and married to a woman from France.
The American is a person, who left his old manners and prejudices behind. Then received new ones, from the life he has embraced and for the government.
A person becomes an ideal American after being welcomed and accepted by the great Alma Mater. After being accepted by Alma Mater, he gets transformed into a new race of man, which stands up for himself and who can conquer the world.
The Americans were open to principles such as freedom of religion and freedom of speech. America would welcome everyone to its country if they would work hard for themselves, so they get the life they would like.
Crèvecoeur says; “We are the most perfect society now existing in the world. Here man is free as he ought to be; nor is this pleasing equality so transitory as many others are.”- page 2 line 37-38.
Even though, some of America's ideals have changed. Then they still believe in freedom and being “the land with the opportunities”. Today, it isn't exactly so easy to enter America.
Skriv et svar