What is the American Creed?

The idea of the “American Dream” is that each U.S. citizen should be given equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work. It is what attracts so many people to our country. My great grandparents came to America from Montreal, Canada in 1931. They immigrated to America hoping to build a new life for their 5 children. They were eager to dive into their new life in America, but it was difficult for them to adapt to the new atmosphere. Both french speakers, my great grandparents had to learn an entirely new language and teach it to their children. Through hard work and persistence, my great grandfather was able to build his own carpentry company from the ground up and built many other businesses as well. Although many can come to America and achieve prosperity like my great grandparents, many people struggle to achieve the same respect as others. It is a prime misconception believed by many that everyone is treated equally in our country. The truth is that opportunity is not equally distributed amongst U.S. citizens. This is seen within the unfair class systems of our society and discrimination of its citizens. People need to become aware of this situation to gain empathy for one another. Once this is complete, we all can be presented with equal opportunities and the chance to achieve prosperity in America.

Our country was built on the hard work of the people that immigrated to the U.S. hoping to achieve prosperity in America. The diversity of our nation truly is what makes our country so unique compared to others. Unfortunately, racism exists in a country that was founded on the diversity of its citizens. In an interview conducted by the Washington Post, Sylvester Wright describes what he believes is the American Creed. As a black police officer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he has seen many acts of racism and discrimination on the job. “Sometimes I feel proud, sometimes I’m not. This is what America is about right now, but we have the opportunity to correct it, if we unite”. Wright claims that we have to chance to induct change in our nation, but we need to gain empathy with each other. If people focus on where somebody came from, it doesn’t mean anything. We should focus on the common goals that we all share instead. Each citizen in America deserves the same rights. No one should be denied unalienable rights based off their race or background.

The reason why so many people immigrate to our country is because there is a profound belief that anyone can come to America and make something of themselves. With this idea in mind, many people don’t have much when they do arrive to our country. Sergio Arellano, an interviewee from the Washington Post interviews, talks about how his family came to America from Mexico with little to nothing to live off of. Growing up, his father was a sanitation worker who brought home bags of trash from rich neighborhoods. His father taught him to never depend on the government for any type of help. It is shown today that the impoverished in America receive very little help compared to what those who are wealthier receive. This inequality makes those trying to aspire in America much harder and cannot allow them to achieve their dreams. Trump has administered that the rich should be taxed less than the poor. To make sure that everyone is equal, politicians should level taxes out and make sure that everyone has equal opportunities.

Everyone who comes to or lives in America has the same goal in mind, to achieve their dreams. Whatever that dream may be, it is believed you can achieve anything you put your mind to here. For people to actually have a chance at success, each person must be endowed with the same rights as the next person. We need to be able to see as a nation that no person should be considered unequal based off how wealthy one may be or their race. Once these ideologies are suppressed, everyone can be given the equal rights and opportunities that they deserve when they come to America.