Camden
Central
High
School
Camden,
Tennessee
Teacher:
Wanda
Allen
What
Does
It
Mean
To
Be
An
American?
By:
Amber
Ward
11TH
Grade
America
was
founded
over
two
hundred
years
ago
by
explores
looking
for
land
to
live
on.
They
wanted
to
live
somewhere
where
they
could
practice
whatever
religion
they
wanted.
So
it
is
safe
to
say
that
our
government
was
based
on
Christian
beliefs.
America
was
founded
under
God
and
we,
as
Americans
were
to
live
Christian
lives
with
Christian
beliefs.
Or
that
is
what
Americans
were
supposed
to
do,
but
somehow
I
find
that
we
have
drifted
from
that
aspect.
Our
Founding
Fathers
signed
that
Declaration
of
Independence
to
make
America
an
official
country.
We
were
our
own
country,
and
with
all
of
the
struggles
and
hard
times
that
our
Founding
Fathers
went
through,
there
should
be
an
everlasting
pride
so
strong
to
be
an
American.
So
what
exactly
does
it
mean
to
be
an
American?
Have
we
as
a
country
in
the
21st
century
turned
our
backs
on
what
our
Founding
Fathers
wanted
for
us?
Do
we
take
being
a
citizen
of
the
United
States
of
America
for
granted?
A
nation
of
immigrants,
“the
melting
pot
of
the
worlds
peoples”
these
expressions
have
long
been
used
proudly
by
Americans
to
describe
their
country’s
heritage.
The
year
1986
marked
the
centennial
of
the
Statue
of
Liberty,
celebrated
in
this
country
and
around
the
world
as
the
symbol
of
the
ideals
of
freedom
for
which
America
stands.
The
worlds
inscribed
at
its
base
eloquently
proclaim
our
vision
of
a
better
life
for
the
world’s
downtrodden
peoples.
Our
country
is
overflowing
with
immigrants.
Cities
and
towns
are
filling
up
with
new
immigrants
every
day.
We
have
so
many
negative
things
that
we
find
come
from
having
immigrants
in
our
country.
This
is
a
nationwide
problem.
What
should
we
do
about
the
immigrants?
But
is
that
not
what
our
Founding
Fathers
wanted?
They
came
from
different
countries
speaking
various
languages.
This
is
suppose
to
be
the
land
of
the
free;
the
land
of
equality.
This
was
a
country
that
was
founded
so
that
families
could
come
and
live
the
American
dream.
There
were
no
specifications
as
to
who
could
enter
this
country
so
this
is
what
the
immigrants
are
doing.
They
are
living
the
American
dream.
Immigrants
move
to
America
to
be
free
and
happy.
They
take
pride
in
what
they
have
here.
Most
of
the
time
it
is
less
than
anything
that
we
would
ever
dream
of
having.
Immigrants
take
pride
in
being
in
this
country.
They
just
flow
with
joy
with
just
being
on
American
soil.
What
is
so
wrong
with
that?
Average
Americans
do
not
think
about
how
lucky
they
are
to
live
in
a
country
like
this.
Maybe,
instead
of
complaining
about
our
country
being
overpopulated
and
having
to
face
different
challenges
because
of
these
immigrants…
we
should
stop
for
a
minute
and
watch
an
immigrant
take
pride
in
this
country,
and
pride
in
just
being
here.
Maybe
if
we
would
do
that,
we
might
start
understanding
what
it
means
to
be
an
American.
It
takes
tragic
events
to
wake
Americans
up
and
make
them
realize
that
they
are
lucky
to
be
an
American.
It
is
sad
to
say,
but
it
is
the
truth.
We
are
so
caught
up
in
ourselves
that
we
do
not
even
realize
that
it
could
all
be
taken
away
in
a
second.
Then
were
would
we
be?
Out
there
just
like
many
other
countries
wondering
what
we
are
going
to
do.
It
is
horrible
to
see
that
it
takes
huge
tragedies
to
bring
us
back
down
to
Earth,
and
realize
what
we
have.
Our
Founding
Fathers
wanted
us
to
live
a
life
of
freedom,
happiness,
a
life
of
not
being
afraid,
and
a
life
of
equality.
We
to
this
day
still
enjoy
the
perks
of
all
of
these
things,
but
we
just
take
it
for
granted.
Would
the
18th
century
conservatives’
argument
that
states
“government
must
be
a
native
growth,
must
emerge
from
the
spontaneous
evolution
of
the
nation
itself;
from
the
spirit
of
the
people”
justify
that
we
are
still
true
Americans?
I
do
not
think
that
it
does.
We
do
not
take
pride
in
being
an
American
like
out
fore
fathers
did.
We
boast
about
freedom
and
being
an
American,
and
we
show
it
off.
We
do
not
value
it,
and
definitely
the
spirit
of
the
people
of
our
country
does
not
represent
being
an
American
very
well.
We
are
citizens
of
the
United
States
of
America,
but
you
can
call
all
of
the
immigrants
that
live
here
in
this
nation
more
American
than
the
natural
born
citizens.
We
have
gotten
away
from
what
it
truly
means
to
be
an
American,
and
the
sooner
we
get
back
to
it
the
better
off
we
will
be
because
if
we
do
not
watch
out
it
will
be
taken
from
us.
Questions Re: the Required Reading and Certain Current Events
Q1- Explain, in your own words, the three developments in our culture that have contributed to the disorder Professor Huntington senses in the USA today.
Multiculturalism undermines what Americans strive for. We have American ideals and with multiculturalism this changes that. Transnationalism is where world leaders in some way affect the nations point of view. “Hispanization of America” is where we have so many Spanish immigrants that our country is soon to be bilingual, and they are going to take over.
Q2- Define and discuss the American creed, the ideology that Professor Huntington cites as one of the historic sources of our national identity.
The American creed is our historic source of American national identity. This is race, ethnicity, ideals, and culture. This defines who we are as a country, and it is one of our most valuable traits.
Q3- Explain the difference between culture and creed, according to the Professor.
Individuals steering by the creed alone will soon be attracted by Balkanizing group identities. The creed cannot hold up by itself. Therefore, the creed must be united with culture, if creed and country are both to survive.
Q4- Professor Huntington thinks culture is more important than creed. Do you? Explain.
Yes, because creed is just all of our ideals. Culture is the way we carry out these ideals.
Q5- Discuss “founding” as expressed by Aristotle’s Politics.
Founding means to give a country the law, institutions, and offices that chiefly make a country what it is. This means founding is everything. If defines the country.
Q6- Complete the sentence attributed to Aristotle’s thinking: “We are just free enough to____________________.” (Fill in the blank.)
To be able to take responsibility for the things in life we cannot choose.
Q7- Which took precedence in the founding of America; natural law and rights or the British Constitution?
I think that natural law and rights took precedence in the founding of America. That is what our Founding Fathers cared about most.
Q8- What was the reason for the traditional conservatives’ opposition to the rationalism that fueled the French Revolution?
All of the differences fueled the French Revolution.
Current Events
Q9-American
Intelligence
efforts
uncovered
a
group
of
Taliban
leaders
attending
a
funeral.
By
current
military
terms
of
engagement
no
action
could
be
taken
against
these
“sitting
duck”
enemies.
Why?
Is
this,
in
your
opinion,
a
good
or
bad
outcome?
Defend
your
position.
I
think
that
it
is
a
bad
outcome
because
we
know
what
they
are,
but
we
are
not
doing
anything
about
it
because
they
are
not
causing
any
trouble.
So
we
are
going
to
wait
for
them
to
do
something
wrong
for
us
to
arrest
them.
Q10- The Geneva Convention requires signatories, (the USA is one of a multitude of signatories) to enact their own laws in keeping with the ban against torture. Currently U.S. law prohibits conduct denigrating the dignity and rights of foreign prisoners that is so narrowly defined as to be codling in the opinion of many Americans. The military acknowledges that this conduct would not be reciprocated by Al Queda and Taliban terrorists. Does this military code of conduct make you proud to be an American? Why or why not. If not, what should be done to correct the situation?
Yes, we are being the better person by doing this.
Q-11 Can or should America impose its form of government on other nations?
Yes, we are the only country in the world who seems to have the best form of government. So other countries should follow.