The American Character
THE AMERICAN CHARACTER BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR One might ask oneself what that means. The American Character. It sounds glorious, mighty, powerful and whatnot, but how many of us actually know the meaning of such a grand phrase? The American character is an idea. It is how our minds are shaped when we are growing up: what we should be proud of, the values we are supposed to impose onto our children, how we should dress, the way we are expected to think. However, our mentality has not remained the same throughout the history of our country. People change, times change, and as this happens our mentality changes as well. The American character was already developing even before the very first European colonizers set foot on American territory. Tired of the government and oppression, they came looking for freedom, they came looking for a place where no one would tell them what to believe, a place where they could own acres and acres of land and live off the land, or to just be free. It seemed like the perfect place to grow perfect crops in vast extensions of land.Americans soon discovered that the rich soil was g
But for the remaining situation, what was on their minds was freedom. The American character surely has not remained the same since the birth of this nation. They waged war on everyone that seemed to interfere with their dreams: the French, the Spanish and the English, among others. They were, however, minority groups, and in the minds of the American people back then they were 'below' too. There were still those who discriminated against such groups, however. The Puritans believed in theocracy and the Bible was their Constitution; their lives revolved around Church and God was their highest power. Punishment for disobeying such laws included stocks, whippings, excommunication, and death by hanging. During the early 1600s,what the Puritans thought that the American character was hard work, unity, and suppressed emotions. Although women would not gain the right to vote for a while, people learned that women could organize too. This type of mentality would remain unchanged for many years to come. Immigrants from all over migrated to the United States in search of a better life for themselves, their children and other generations to come. They brought culture with them, new mentalities and knowledge that came in handy in their new lives. They risked getting caught by federal officials tracking down escaped slaves; they would hide them in their basements, their attics, and sometimes their own houses. After this, theocracy wasn't as strong and beliefs changed again, but the conflict with the Native Americans remained.
Common topics in this essay:
Spanish English,
Native Americans,
American Character,
African Americans,
Church God,
England Americans,
Puritans American,
american character,
That's American,
Heaven Children,
CIVIL WAR,
owned slaves,
gain vote,
native americans,
escaped slaves,
speak unless spoken,
wasn't strong,
speak unless,
country people,
demand land,
women gain vote,
unless spoken,
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Acceptance Essays
