Freedom Is The Root Of What It Means To Be An American

June 27, 2021 by Essay Writer

There’s a lot that goes into being an American, one huge thing that is the root of being an American is freedom, to be an American means that you must continue to grow industrially. When our country went to war with each other, it was for freedom because that is something that is heavily valued and everyone deserves to be free. History shows us that during industrial growth in the early 1900’s we were able to improve our economy by creating more businesses and attracting more people to America with the city life.

Americans have their right to freedom today but it wasn’t always like that. Freedom is something that shapes our country what makes it one of the most sought after countries by immigrants. Unfortunately America wasn’t always like that, not everyone was able to be free in this country. Back in the 1800’s slavery was an issue with our society as it took away freedom from those of color. Although being an American means that you fight to have those freedoms that we now have today. Huck Finn is someone who realized that everyone in this amazing country deserves to be free. Mark Twain writes about how Huckleberry Finn helps a runaway slave named Jim even though it’s against what society has told him. Huck Finn was constantly wrestling with the idea of whether or not he should help out Jim since he was a slave as he says “But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody. That was so— I couldn’t get around that noway. That was where it pinched.” He realises that freedom is something that everyone in this country deserves and is able to set aside his differences with society. By being an American Huck can show respect to everyone and not just those of his own color. Huckleberry Finn is a pioneer for the future of this country and how we should treat one another. Huck and Jim are able to get to a free state. Jim is thrilled as he screams out in joy – “We’s safe, Huck, we’s safe! Jump up and crack yo’ heels! Dat’s de good ole Cairo at las’, I jis knows it!”.

On April 12th, 1861 a war between one country was born. The Civil War came about due to the fact that those from the North who were apart of the Union were fighting against the south to help free the slaves and give back freedom to everyone in America. Abraham Lincoln, who was the president of the United States at the time, writes the Gettysburg Address to help bring back together a country that is divided. In the passage he states “This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom” When Linoln says this he is saying that we are in this war to help everyone in America gain freedom and that’s what everyone deserves. To be an American means that you value your freedoms and live by them but back in the 1860’s not everyone was as fortunate to be free. But since these people were American they fought to gain freedom and were able to do so.

Americans are the type of people that continue to grow in their society to become stronger and that is something that defines us. In the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s our country went into an industrial revolution. This era in America helped to shape our country into what it is today. Americanhistory.edu says “the rapid expansion of big business, the development of large-scale agriculture, and the rise of national labor unions and industrial conflict”. This is telling us how innovative Americans were and that is something that we should all strive for. Americans are people who don’t just stay where they are and be satisfied, they look to get stronger in their country and work to get to the top. Being an American means that you are innovative because we have all the resources in the world and we have the opportunity to take advantage of what our country offers us.

The root to being an American is freedom, it is something that everyone who is an American values heavily and is willing to fight for it. Huck Finn showed us that even if you already are free, that you understand what it means and was willing to help someone else who does not yet have freedom in this great country. When you consider the Civil War, it was fought on the principals of freedom and by the whole country going to war with each other it shows us how much freedom is valued and that it’s something that identifies us. Being an American means you are innovative and you look to grow as a society and build your country. We did this during the Industrial Revolution by improving our economy. Once you think about it, an American is someone who looks to grow and be innovative, you are also someone who heavily values your freedom and you recognize what that would mean to someone.

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