American Creed

My artwork represents my blended Irish and American heritage.

By Dillon from Staples High School in Connecticut

My artwork (a blend of acrylic and watercolor paints and old photos) represents my blended Irish and American heritage.The Irish flag dripping onto the red and white stripes mirror my Grandma’s Irish influence on all the people she has known here in this country. I covered up the blue stars and stripes, but you can still see a hint of the blue dripping down the painting. I wanted to show some of the blue since she is so patriotic and loyal to the United States. There are only 11 strips, but our real flag as 13. She holds many superstitions, and doesn’t like the number 13. 

Staples High School

Bauks 2A

per8

How does your family & community history connect to your American creed?

My Paper outlines my families history and how their experiences have impacted me or how I hope they will end up impacting me, And how their different journies have affected me.

Foundations of Liberty and Freedom

The liberty and freedom that people associate with the Statue of Liberty is built on the language in our legislation, so in the image, I made the interior of the statue filled with images of the Constitution to signify where our Freedom comes from.

Protecting basic human rights

This video explains how service men and women, similar to my ancestors, selflessly risk their lives in order for people to live out their American Creed.

Symbols of the American Creed.

We were tasked with having to answer one of the many invitations about the American Creed. I took the American Flag and imported images of my friends and family, together as Americans, we make up a democracy which is an American ideal/belief that most Americans believe in.

How does your family & community history connect to your American creed?

My piece is about how my family is connects to my American Creed. In this instance I wrote a photo story explaining how it does. I write about the journey my parents took from Afghanistan to Russia to The United States.

How Diverse Americans Understand the American Creed

Different cultures, although having different ideologies, interpret the American Creed as the right to pursue the American Dream. This allows a stronger communal bond to be formed within America, as we all are striving to achieve the same goals.

The American Opportunity

This paper argues that one is able to express their American Creed by taking advantage of the distinct opportunities offered to them as Americans, and proposes that the best way for people to express their American Creed via action is by taking advantage of these opportunities.

Expectations of America

This piece is an attempt to explain what it takes to move one's entire life across the world. It shows what makes one want to leave and what makes one choose America. The boy pictured is my father at age 11, on the bottom, where he came from; above, where he wanted to go.

Freedom, Opportunity and the American Creed

My piece is about the history of my grandparents and how their lives in Italy were able to connect to my American Creed.

How my Grandfather influenced my view on American Creed

My grandfather worked his way from the bottom to achieve success, and his experiences serve as the basis of my American Creed

How Do You Express Your American Creed?

My text is about how my family and I have expressed our American creeds together. It talks about what it is and means to be an American and the rights that you are given.

The American Creed Through Action

In my essay I discuss what I believe the American Creed is, and how we can promote it through action. Change doesn't need to mean a big commitment or a large cost, and can be as easy as helping a neighbor.

How does your family & community history connect to your American creed?

My American Creed is about both sides of my family immigrating from both Italy and Russia.

Interview with my Grandmother from Korea

In order to answer the question "how does your family and community history connect to your American creed?" I interviewed my grandmother who immigrated from Korea in 1973 to learn about what drew her to America.

How Do Diverse Americans Understand The American Creed?

My essay talks about the diversity of the U.S. and how that effects the American Creed. I summarize how The American Dream is not always achievable and how your background effects your American Creed.

Pop's Story

I wrote a story about my Pop, who grew up in poverty, and how he proves that the American Dream is, in fact, attainable to any American through hard work, perseverance despite wealth, social status, and circumstances at birth.

More responses from Staples High School

Surprise Me

The Freedom Song

My American Creed speaks upon my own experiences growing up in Westport, my continued exposure to the arts, and how my family, freedoms, and opportunities have helped to influence my passions.

American Creed Project

How my family and community has shaped my understanding of what it means to be an American

Holding the Door

I feel what guides us is what we believe to be right. I came to the conclusion that my creed is following the beliefs of leaders that have fought discrimination; to me that is what I think is right. Here is my art piece that reflects this creed:

American Creed - Diversity

My American creed is to be a real American, one needs to live to their full potential and strive to be the greatest they can be. My interview with my parents, about their different cultures, helps me understand how they are the American they are today.

My American Creed

This piece is about what my American Creed is and what it could do for the United States.

Your Future Is In Education

Through the stories of two immigrants who made a good life for themselves in America, I explain how education is your path to fulfilling your American dream and how some are unfortunate enough to not have this opportunity.

The Story of an Orzeł Biały

My American Creed consists of letting life take its course, working hard, and always staying connected to my roots and my family. In this video all three parts are going to be demonstrated,showing how my american creed ties into my family.

Past to Present

My piece is a response to the second invitation, "How does your family & community history connect to your American creed?" After research and deep self-reflection, I have determined what my own American Creed is. It revolves around American principles and my family.

My American Creed: Helping Our Fellow Americans

Through an audio story containing multiple interviews, I explore how I learned the importance of helping others from my family and community members.

My American Creed

My Creed Is about Patriotism, Citizenship, and hard work. I hope I can love up to these things and be a good American.

Choose your path

This picture is about a kid that is looking up to his father. The father is giving him a present of good values. There is also a lightning bolt blocking the good values by social media. A TV, book and a phone can easily change your views. You have to choose your path.

Immigrating Creeds

I discuss how my parent's influence with immigrating to America has influenced their American Creeds and how that influenced mine as well.

More responses about "art"

Surprise Me

1st prompt

My American Creed is demonstrated by many things including my family, friend, and opportunities in America.

American Creed through the community

Joe Maddon's idea was my inspiration and from it i develop a community festival. The festival would allow all cultures and asks that each culture be prepared to express itself in different ways.

The American Creed of Diverse Americans As Expressed Through Art

This essay is about how diverse Americans and Americans whose demographic have a history of oppression understand the American Creed. I investigated this question specifically by looking at pieces of art that were created by and on the topic of diverse Americans.

The Art of Music

Although we all have our own differences in beliefs and opinions, there's always going to be those small things that bring us back together. One of those things is the love we share for music.

The American "Creed"

As it is impossible to truly define any one symbol or concept that unites all Americans under a single "creed" the best we can do is to hope to find inspiration in comical/uplifting humanitarian ideas about our nation and our neighbors.

Choose your path

This picture is about a kid that is looking up to his father. The father is giving him a present of good values. There is also a lightning bolt blocking the good values by social media. A TV, book and a phone can easily change your views. You have to choose your path.

Diversity Through Art

Diverse americans use music to express themselves and get points across that otherwise might have been ignored.

Action Through Artistic Expression

An analysis of the expression of American Creed and how it is portrayed in classical American art and how young artist can use their talents to show their creed in a similar manner.

My American Creed

In this watercolor painting I represented America through the flag and qualities that make a good American citizen through colors. Red for respect, white for equality, blue for trust, dark blue for integrity, green for honesty, and pink for care.

Unseen similarities

As an expatriate, I was able to experience both European and North American values and found that they are remarkably similar. To show this I created an image of myself using both European and American civil rights articles.

American Creed

My project represents how my Hispanic ethnicity from my parents influences myself as an American and my story of who I am.

Diversity Through Art

Diverse americans use music to express themselves and get points across that otherwise might have been ignored.

Symbols Defining the American Creed

The creation and development of rituals and symbols supports the nations national identity and represents the American Creed. This annotated photo essay describes how the American Creed is made up by symbols and rituals of everyday life.

Writing Our Future: American Creed is part of the National Writing Project’s family of youth publishing projects, all gathered under the Writing Our Future initiative.

Writing Our Future projects are designed by educators for educators and the young people they work with. Intended for use in schools, libraries, and other educational settings. All projects are COPPA compliant and educator-managed. NWP is committed to supporting young people’s writing and civic participation by providing a safe and supportive environment for youth writing, media creation, sharing, and publishing.