Everyone has his or her own interpretation on what an American is and what makes a person an American. De Crevecoeur believes that an American is an Englishman who came from England who discovered and settled here. He is excluding, of course, the women and children. He also excludes anyone not from England and slaves. Furthermore, by saying “discovered and settled” he is claiming that there was no one on this land when they came here, which is very wrong. De Crevecoeur’s definition is very exclusive and narrow. This is in no way what I believe an American to be. For me an American is anyone, no matter his or her race, gender, or age who is loyal to this country and the foundation on which it stands.
There are others who believe that only Christians are Americans. “Unguarded Gates” by Thomas Bailey Aldrich talks about Lady Liberty as a sort of guardian over America. Aldrich believes she should gate American and not let all the free loaders, invaders, and intruders in, believing that they will contaminate or disgrace the land of the free. In the poem he uses phrases like “clustered stars be torn and trampled into dust” and “waste the gift of freedom”. In other words he thinks that these people who penetrate our borders will not appreciate what this country has to offer. Although there might be some truth to some of the things Aldrich says, all in all I believe that anyone can become an American as long as they are patriotic and believe in this country and what it has to offer. Americans today come from every background imaginable and there is no room for people who segregate and say others can’t be American because of what they look like or their gender or age.
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