What is an American?

Being  an “American” means more than just living in the territory of the United States. Being an “American” means taking pride in your country. Where you live or where you come from defies and reflects how you live about your daily life. It defies what traditions you follow and celebrate. A perfect example of the all-American tradition is Thanksgiving. It’s a holiday that originated in the United States and continues to be celebrated in the United States. Traditions like this, that build up over time, ultimately define our nation’s culture itself. Seeing as the United States is under 300 years old, our nation hasn’t had the time to build up such culture as country’s like Egypt and China. When you ask and American, “What are you?”, chances are their answer would be “French” or “Spanish”, or any other country. But why isn’t the common answer “American”? I think the answer to this question is that because the United States is so “young”, generations are used to identifying with a country that is more mature. As well as this, America is seen as a melting pot of races and not a completely culturally unified nation. Ultimately, when one identifies themselves as an “American” it is evident that they take pride in the country.