America

My piece is about what America was supposed to be like and if it has lived up to its promises. America was built on the melting pot for all races. America is suppose to be the land of the free, and home for people in need, so why are we separating families and building walls? Instead of building walls, we should be building bridges with people. America should be trying to find a way to help more people and help them become citizens, not forcing people that have lived in America for decades out and making their children grow up without them.

America is known as the land of opportunity, where one could achieve anything they put their mind to, no matter who they are. Thousands of people immigrate to the United States every year from different parts of the world to have access to these kinds of opportunities. This is what is known as "the American dream." They move because they want more for their children, a better life, better education, and a safer place to live. Hawkins said, "as Americans, we are brought up to believe we stand for life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. However, if you examine it, not everyone stands for that belief.” Life is very debatable among America. All will proudly say all are entitled to life, but do not bring up abortion or the death penalty. Apparently, there are exceptions to some people and no exceptions to others, which creates great conflict. My idea of America is where everyone was born free, no one is born a slave, no one is born without rights. Everyone should have: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of press, right of education, right of control over own body, right of healthcare, and a right of security. Today we know these rights as "The Human Rights." There should be no exceptions of these rights for any one person. Everyone should be born equal. People should have equal chances in life, their parents wealth and position in the world should not matter for their own outcome. What should matter is if you worked hard for what you wanted to accomplish and helped people on the way.

Everyone should have the equal chances, of education, of employment, and rights to own houses. America is suppose to be the land of the free, soldiers fight for our freedom, they fight for everyone to have equal rights. They fight for our freedom, so we need to fight and make sure what they are fighting for is not in vain. We need to fight for not only our rights but the rights of others also.

The story of America can be pictured in a way as being rough. Throughout history, America has done some great things, but America has also done some pretty shameful things as well. America was built on the phrase that adhered to the principle of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. At America’s start, that only applied to white male property owners. Today, this phrase applies to everyone; women, African American, Hispanics, etc. The story of America would have been much different if this was the case at the beginning. There may not have been slavery or civil conflicts. The story of America, though, is about freedom, and is a place where everyone has a chance.

Economic transformation, culture, slavery, war and diplomacy, and diversity have all been huge conflicts in our past and present day. As time has passed, America has gone through plenty of changes in the economy. From big booms to stock market crashes, America has seen its fair share of economic changes. The economy during the colonial years was pre-industrial and was primarily characterized by subsistence farming. During the Revolutionary Era, the economy was mostly focused on being self governed where the colonies would have their own government. During the Gilded Age, it was a time of economic growth as the U.S. passed Britain in industrialization. During the Progressive Era, it was a time of economic and social reform. During the Great Depression, the economy went through the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world, sparking fundamental changes in economic institutions, macroeconomic policy, and economic theory. During the Cold War, the U.S. experienced phenomenal economic growth. From the 1970’s to present day the U.S. experienced an economy that would inflate and deflate occasionally.

 America is a special country. This is so because it receives culture from multiple countries around the globe. From the Native Americans who dwelled in America before the English crossed the Atlantic, to the Spanish, French, Asian, and African; culture has been a major part of America. Another large, but terrible theme of America is slavery. Slavery has occurred in America for centuries and it slowly turned into a Civil Rights issue in the early 20th century. Slavery was a tragic past of the U.S. and it is important that America learns from their huge mistake. Even today, there are some cases where African Americans are still mistreated and oppressed, and quite frankly, it’s wrong.