My American Creed

There are many factors which can go into the American Creed, our American Declaration of our beliefs and our ideas. After all, as Edward De Bono, author of the book “Six Thinking Hats” once stated, “America is not just a country, it’s an idea.” The idea that Bono speaks of can be broken down into a series of different, smaller ideas. Such ideas are those of the American Dream are our roots, how we express our American Creed, and our freedom.

One of the ideas that go into the American Creed is how we got here. Many people have relatives who came here during the colonial era (around the end of the 19th century), like my relatives. My mom’s side of the family is finnish and italian, while my dad’s side of the family is mostly from Italy. Unlike the pilgrims who arrived in America in the 17th century in search of religious freedom, those who immigrated from the 1880’s to the 1920’s to America were in search of more of an opportunity when it came to jobs and the economy. Not only that, but there was also the problem that came up with a shortage of crops, which lead to famine, and the other shortages in both jobs and land. People in other countries saw America as a land of opportunity, leading nearly twelve million immigrants to arrive in the United States of America over that fourty year span of time.

A second idea that goes into the American Creed is that of how you show it. You can show your American Creed through things that you use as decorations or you can do so through rituals such as singing the national anthem or saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Some symbols include the national flag, the national flower, the rose, and the national bird, the bald eagle. Usually, people hang the American flag outside of their house, but it can also be seen in many other places. After all, it’s the law to have the American Flag hang outside of your house. Not only that, but there are tons of other rules when it comes to properly hanging the flag. The American flag stands as one of the most important symbols we use to show patriotism.

Finally, there’s the last idea of the American Creed: freedom. Freedom is, more or less, the foundation of America. It is how the America we know now came to be. As aforementioned, when people heard the great land of America back in the colonial era, they decided to leave their homes, and take their families here to a place which offered them endless possibilities. Freedom also pushed everyone to fight for it back in the 18th century during the times of the thirteen colonies when we finally declared ourselves a country on July 4th, 1776. Every year, we celebrate our freedom on the fourth of July to remember that day.

This brings me to my American Creed. My American Creed is that, no matter where I came from, I can do anything I want. I can be anything I want no matter what it is. No matter where I start, if I set a goal, I have the ability to get there. The possibilities are endless when it comes to my future, because America is the land of opportunity.