What to think of an American
Created | Updated Sep 21, 2005
Americans are, simply put, residents of the United States of America. Americans are regarded differently all over the world. To some, they may appear as pompous and lazy, and others as hard working and dillegent. To truly understand an American, you must understand their history.
A History of the United States
The United States officially became a country in their eyes in 1776, and to the rest of the world, around 1777-78, with the conclusion of the American Revolution. Prior to this, America was comprised of basically three groups of people.
- Those fleeing religious persecution settled mostly in New England
- Economic Oppurtunitists settled mostly in the middle states
- Criminals and debtors looking to start a new life settled mostly in the southern states.
The Class system and Diversity
When you visit any country in the world, you will notice something very consistent. Every country in the world has a class system, whether it be the Indian cast system or the European nobility. When America became indepedent of Europe, they wished to forever diverge from the European class system. As America developed, class became based on economic status, in other words, how much money someone made. To an outsider, this may seem a cause for distress, and it certainly did cause problems, but it must be understood that this is part of the American identity. For this reason, there is less tension between those of a lower class and those of an upper class. Additionally, Americans may tend to believe more. This is just something one must take into account. Because of a different social system, a very common "rags to riches" story developed about America. People came from all over to the "land of oppurtunity" hoping to strike it rich. America became, and still is, a culturally diverse place. Germans, Irish, British, Indian, Korean are all major minorities of the United States, as well as a large minority of African Americans. Again, as the country developed, the United States became very diverse. In the Northeast you had big buisness intellectuals, in the south you had the bible belt and religous fervor. To the west you had cowboys and traditional values and to the far west you had the birth of liberalism in America. So, America became a melting pot for the worlds people.
The Modern American
At the close of World War II, the United States of America has taken over from Britain the responsibility of a world superpower. It is from this that Americans recieve their admiration and disdain. Many people have come to hate Americans and many have come to respect them?
So Which One? Hate or Respect?
That is, of course, up to you. However, consider this. There is no way to stereotype an American, for just like in any country they are all unique. America is a very young country and they have fought hard to establish a national identity. At times, they may appear pompous or rude, but this may not just be egotism, but instead just patriotism. However, sometimes it becomes difficult to stereotype a modern american because they are often diametrically opposed on certain issues. The Democrats and Republicans, the two major American political parties, both hold about 50% of the people's optinon. Therefore half of the country can be completly different than the other half. I ask only this. Before rushing to judge an American, consider their heritage and their place in the world. You don't have to hate or respect Americans, just understand them.
