What is an American?

     The simplest way we can describe an American is a citizen of the United States. But, it goes much deeper into that. People of every nationality have their own background and traditions. The people of the United States are not just made up of one group of people, but several ethnicity groups. The creates a melting pot of traditions, changing some and completely creating new ones. People come here for 2 main reasons: economic opportunities and freedom. This is what unites the people of the United States.
     The idea of freedom is what created the United States. The 13 original colonies in the eastern coast of North America fought for their independence from Britain. They abolished monarchy and created a government made up of 3 branches. From there on out, people have been fighting for more and more freedom, leading to the civil rights movement which fought against segregation of race and the women's rights movement which fought against segregation of sex. As the country grew and grew, more people were attracted from around the world.
     As the country grew, the economy grew with it. Soon, the United States became one of the most, if not, strongest countries in the world. This is a huge accomplishment, considering how young the country is. This is largely accomplished by people attempting to live the American Dream: to have freedom and the opportunity to work your way up from nothing to prosperity and success.
     In conclusion, Americans are people who strive for success. They are people who enjoy the freedom of this country and are in the pursuit for happiness. People of many different backgrounds coexist in the same communities, each with the same goal as each other. Immigrants come here and adapt to the traditions that we have here, as well as adding to it and changing it. So, an American is not just one type of person, but people from all around the world who had the chance of coming here and took that chance to try to achieve the American Dream.