What Is an American - Essay Example

What Is an American? In his 1782 letter, J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur distinguishes between Americans and Europeans. The American has arrived ina new place and has created good roads, orchards, and bridges in a land which was formerly wild and uncultivated. These Americans find themselves in a new land and in a modern society which offers endless possibilities very much detached from feudal lords. They are also away from aristocratic families, from the courts, kings, and bishops. As a result, they are not controlled by the clergy; and no power is owed to the kings and courts and there are no luxurious refinements apparent.

The Americans in effect are away from the glamour of the courts, and except for a few towns in the Americas, they are all tillers of the earth. They cultivate and are sparsely distributed across vast tracks of land, only communicating with each other through roads and rivers. Despite their distance from each other, they are united by the loose bands of their permissive government as they respect their laws without the significant imposition of power. In the end, they live equitable lives as they live their lives full of spirit unbound by aristocratic rules.

Each person, in the end, looks after himself. The travelling American would traverse the rural districts and not see castles and mansions, but gaze through clay-built huts and wooden cabins where both people and cattle keep warm. In these rural districts they dwell in harsh conditions, in smoke, and in extreme poverty. In these conditions however, competence shines through and these conditions offer what are necessary in these lands – dry and comfortable abodes. The most lauded titles which these towns can offer are those of lawyers and merchants; and the rest content themselves with the label of farmers.

The congregation is one of farmers and their families clothed in homemade and practical clothes and riding wagons. The parsons are as simple as their constituents and the farmers hardly compete for the jobs of others. There are no princes among the Americans for whom they owe labor or blood. They compose a perfect society which is now worthy of pride all around the world. In the Americas, man is free to be what he wants to be, and this state is not temporary and the lands are rich for many other free men to dwell on.

Americans are also a mixture of races and nations as they are English, Scots, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans, Asians, and Swedes. The eastern areas of the Americas are pure English descendants and they often wish that they were more intermixed with other races and nations. These people also manifest prominence in the American culture and image and they contribute pleasing qualities to the original thirteen provinces. They are much respected for their contributions to American society because they display wisdom in settling in their territories, and they portray decency of manners, the fondness for letters, for education, and for their industry.

According to de Crevecoeur, the American has a favorable work ethic in relation to the common good of all people, especially the poor. The poor in America has gained the reputation of being hardworking people, people who have taken on various trials, rising from the ashes and gaining prominence in the Americas. In Europe, these were the same poor subjects and they started as such in America, but now they have somehow found a way to provide for themselves. The American is in other words the person leaving behind all his original prejudices and attitudes, taking on new ones from the new life he has now gained.

The American now feels no attachment to the European country where he has borne much hardship and disregard. The love of the English language has been the only thing which has led to an attachment to his home country. Beyond that, what he considers his country is now the one which gives him lands, protection, and food. The American is therefore a European or a descendant of a European; he is a mixture of other races and bloods and this is a unique quality for any American. It is therefore possible for an Englishman, married to a Dutch woman, whose son then marries a French woman, and whose grandchildren later marries other women from other nations to still be labeled as an American.

He is a person who accepts other nations and protects the new ranks he now holds. The American is a person whose labors and success will later bring various changes into the world. These Americans would be the pilgrims, bringing with them their arts, sciences, and industry which begun in the east. A people who were once found in various parts of Europe would now find their common home and identity in America. In this society they would be incorporated into a favorable system which is supported by the varying cultures and climates existent in society.

The labor of the American is the basis for self-interest and now as the American farmer now seeks to progress his life, his family gladly helps in the farm work as they enjoy the benefits that their own labors bring them. No part of their harvest would be claimed by lords or rich abbots. “The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions. From involuntary idleness, servile dependence, penury, and useless labor, he has passed to toils a very different nature, rewards by ample substance.

– This is an American” (Sheridan, 1992). When the European first arrives he feels the limits of his potential – limits which are ingrained in him by years of aristocratic rule. But then miles and miles of wide open spaces prompt him to change his views. He is now encouraged to build on new ideas and to see his prospects brighten. These same concepts are present to this very date as the American sees his world full of life, vibrancy, and possibility. He capitalizes on his freedom and on what he can accomplish for himself and his family – without the limits of aristocracy or oppressive rule.

Works Cited Sheridan, M. (1992). America: readings in themes and eras. California: University Press of America.