The American Creed as Seen Through Family and Community

For my American Creed project, I chose to create an illustrated book to convey what the American Creed means to me. In each illustration I made it a point to use my personal experiences to compare my experiences with my family and community to those of all sorts of race, ethnicity, and background. Reaching the widest audience possible was part of the reason why I opted to choose the picture book format, as well as to express my creativity regarding setting design and coloring. Expressing the traits of what makes my family and surroundings unique was made easier by drawing how I perceived them. Balancing text and illustrations was dependent on the aspect of my life I wanted to showcase on each individual page. For example, the conclusion page that summarized my thoughts on the American Creed is short compared to the summary of how my relatives came to live in America, because the rephrasing of my claim that family and community history has a major influence on what one grows up to be is less to explain than a summary of my personal family history. Each page had its own degree of importance, progressing my argument by referencing my community and family, and the importance and influence they had on my upbringing. The aspect of my American Creed project that I find many people would relate to is the passage describing my great-grandparents’ voyage to America in the early 1900s. Most American citizens of are immigrant descent, so by including this anecdote, I added a point of reference that many of the readers of this book could relate to. The picture book format made for a unique presentation of my argument as to what I believe the American Creed represents, and I have no regrets in completing the project in this way.