America: Land of Inequality
Summary
Since its inception, America has faced massive inequities, and even to this day, this has not changed. The American dream is not available to everybody, and while this may sound pessimistic the fact that we have been working to change this fact gives me immense pride.
America is a nation that is built upon the bedrock of ideals, not only our collective ideals but the ideals of each individual citizen. The multiple interpretation of the ideals that this nation was built upon has allowed for everybody to develop their own personal creed as to what it means to be a part of this great nation. My creed is something I hold very dear, and can be very simply summed up in one word “equality”.
The United States is a nation of untold abundance, when asked about America, many people will instantly mention “the American Dream”. The sad fact about the american dream is that it only exists for a select few. While we like to think of America as a nation where anything is possible, the truth is that we live in a nation of such inequality that very little is possible for very many citizens. This inequality has been a part of our nation since its inceptions, whether it has been discriminated against African Americans,Women, or anybody who did not fit into the mold of a protestant Anglo Saxon. While many would see the fact that we have inequality deep rooted in our nation as a negative, I do not see it as such. The fact that we can see our own flaws and work to improve them means that we are making steady progress, and just because something has been a part of our country does not mean that it needs to stay that way. Our nation has steadily been increasing the equality that we have, and this makes me more proud of my nation than anything else. I see my generation as one in a long line that have been pushing for more equality since the foundation of this country, and I believe that we will do our predecessors proud.
As we have moved forward in this country we have constantly been improving the situation of those who the generation before faced immense hardship. Progress is a constant march towards perfection, it cannot happen overnight and it is unlikely that perfection will ever be attained, but here in America we are nothing if not optimistic and even if we can not reach it, that will not stop us from trying.
Highland School Highland High School
These responses were created by seniors in AP Language and Composition Class at Highland High School.