How does a short story that is based on borrowed ideas come to be one of the most widely read and loved pieces of American literature? The answer is simple, by using memorable characters to convey a message of freedom and identity to a nation that was just starting to discover both. In Rip Van Winkl...

"The most impressive by-product of the War of 1812 was a heightened nationalism – the spirit of nation-consciousness or national oneness" (Bailey & Kennedy 240). This upsurge of nationalistic feelings came about as a result of many different ingredients; partly from several victories...

The American Identity Rip Van Winkle, by Washington Irving, is symbolic of the European sentiment towards the new society in America and establishes an identity before and after the American Revolution. Rip Van Winkle's character depicts the society of America as seen by England, whereas the Engl...

German immigration has been a huge influence in our country's development. Germans came to this country in the hundreds of thousands to millions over the history of the United States. They came in search of religious freedom, new farmland, more jobs and to flee from genocide. Many of the German imm...