Lelea 1 Tyler Lelea Ms.

Mclean English 11 Period 4 1 October 2013 No Stars, Just Stripes It is common knowledge that every person who is legally a citizen in America is known to be an American. This gives them the rights and freedom that many people outside of America wish they had. People immigrate to America for these reasons, as good opportunities are clearly more easily available in America. With all of this opportunity and unity, I can easily enjoy freedom and pursue what I enjoy which makes the American title appealing. However, I view myself as an American based less on the literal definition and based more on how much I actually want to be an American, especially with the shameful history of America in mind. One of the most well-known indecencies in American history is when we wronged slaves in the 19th century; these horrific acts of abuse make me want no part of anything American. Although Americans would consistently use slaves as a source of free labor at that time, they still had the audacity to claim that America was a free country. Americans found no shame in celebrating their free country while making their slaves work hard for nothing. Speaking of his brethren who were in slavery, in 1852 Frederick Douglass said, [The Fourth of July is] a day that reveals to [the American Slave] more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim (Paragraph 6). Douglass could not have been more on target with this statement, for it was the slaves who were forced to experience these hideous displays of hypocrisy firsthand. Also, when Douglass says, There is not a nation of the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this

Lelea 2 very hour, (Paragraph 6) he emphasizes the gravity of Americas misdeeds and puts its practices on the chopping block. As an average human being, I personally do not want to be considered affiliated with the successors of this clearly corrupt system; therefore, I do not consider myself American. Not only did America own and abuse slaves looking at more relevant problems it also currently has a horrible economy. The chances for a well-paying job are as slim as everyone might expect, but that isnt entirely the problem. A great deal of American wealth is borrowed from other countries such as China, to whom it owes $1.26 trillion (Roos). Our current debt, as reported by www.usdebtclock.org, would require a little over $53,000 from each American citizen in order for it to be paid off. Many Americans do not even make that much in a year prior to what taxes take from their paychecks. Where does all of this debt come from? The answer to this question is the best part. This is because nearly half of Americas debt is owed to U.S. individuals and institutions. As of the summer of 2012, this percentage was around a solid 42% of the $15.855 trillion that makes up Americas debt (Eyermann). Isnt it strange to think that America owes its own people more than it owes anyone else? Doesnt this suggest that America might be failing its citizens by being unable to repay them? As difficult as living a stable life may already be for many American citizens, it is even more difficult for immigrants. This is one of the aspects of America that really amazes and disgusts me, and yet, there is nothing that we can do to fix the problems that are associated with immigration. Everyone would like to live an ideal lifestyle a real American dream but the harsh reality is that when one country lives luxuriously, another country must work hard to support that countrys wealth. The same general idea applies to the residents of a single country. In order for some people to get rich and famous in America, there needs to be a large group of

Lelea 3 people who do all of the grunt work in the society. John Steinbeck says in E Pluribus Unum, From the first we have treated our minorities abominably, the way the old boys do the new kids in school (2). This group of people has largely consisted of immigrants. In the words of John Steinbeck, The surges of the new restless, needy, and strong [were] grudgingly brought in for purposes of hard labor and cheap wages (1-2). There are consistently less people, especially immigrants, who strive to become wealthy and more people who aim for the middle class and can rarely achieve even that. With all of the problems that being an American comes with, I find that it would be illogical to want to be one. The only thing that I can do is hope for a decent future and give it my best shot, since America seems to be the best chance that I have at a stable life. I prefer to not give people titles if at all possible, since I believe that much of a persons character can be influenced by something as simple as a title that someone gives to them. Therefore, I believe that I am hardly American because the idea of being considered fully American makes me feel as though I am being associated with the horrendous deeds that transpired in Americas past. For when I look at Americas past, all that I see are the stripes of pain without the stars of unity.

Lelea 4 Works Cited Eyermann, Craig. "MyGovCost News & Blog." MyGovCost Government Cost Calculator. N.p., 16 Sept. 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. Roos, Dave, Cristen Conger, and Jacob Clifton. "Top 10 Countries the U.S. Owes Money To." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.