What is an American

The colonization of North America by European settlers led to perhaps the most singular nation in our world’s history.  The European settlers came to America to start anew.  In Europe there was a great disparity between the rich and the poor, and the freedom granted to the poor left much to be desired.  

The settlers believed that North America held the opportunity to begin a new standard of living.  The settlers consisted of a mix of cultures, and each had cultivated separate identities in the Old World.  

Once the settlers arrived in the New World the cultures intermingled and resulted in a new identity: what came to be known as the American identity.  In 1782 John Crevecoeur wrote a letter entitled “What is an American”.  

In his letter he passionately described the American identity, and the difference between it and the European past from which it had been bred. 

In 18th century Europe, there existed a distinct difference of lifestyles between the social classes. Europe was divided into essentially two dissimilar classes, the rich and the poor.  

The rich consisted of aristocratic families and royalty, and were distinguished by an abundance of luxury.  The poor lived a substandard lifestyle, which lacked in freedoms, possessions, and wealth.  The poor also served the rich. In America, the class distinction was not as great.  

There was not a monarchy, which one must serve. Crevecoeur states, “We have no princes, for whom we toil, starve, and bleed” (Crevecoeur, 1782).  Crevecoeur further states that in Europe, the castle would house those of the wealthy class, while the poor lived in huts and slept with cattle for warmth. (Crevecoeur, 1782).  

In contrast, the majority of Americans were predominantly farmers.  The houses in which they lived were of relatively equal quality: “A pleasing uniformity of decent competence appears throughout our habitations”  (Crevecoeur, 1782).  

A point that Crevecoeur makes within his letter is that the American people worked for what they owned, but it was they themselves who owned it.  Their possessions might not have been luxurious, but it was of equal value as of that of their neighbors.  

The barriers between classes that existed so obviously in Europe did not exist within the emerging American classes.  There were not extremes as there were in Europe.  

The majority of Americans existed in what we now call the middle class, who were not suffering for survival or basic standards of living, or exploiting the labors of others.  

It is worth noting that this privilege extended only to landowning, European males.  The role of social class is essential in the formation of a complete and unique American identity.

Crevecoeur states that in America “Here man is free; as he ought to be”. (Crevecoeur, 1782).  In Europe, freedom was a luxury reserved for the elite few.  The people of Europe fell under the jurisdiction of the ruling monarch and the church.  

The dominion wielded by both over the people was considered tyrannical: “Many came to America to escape religious and political persecution in Europe” (Weaver, 2006).  

The people were required to work for the ruling power, which owned the land and redistributed the fruits of the people’s labor as the ruling power saw fit. Any surplus of goods or wealth was deemed the property of the ruling class, in order to further expand the gap between the rich and the poor, thus allowing for control to remain in the hands of the upper class, while preventing the lower class from acquiring enough wealth or goods to pose a threat to the ruling power.  

Crevecoeur describes within his letters the oppression faced by the people of Europe:  “It is not composed, as in Europe, of great lords who possess every thing [sic] and of a herd of people who have nothing.  Here no aristocratical [sic] families, no courts, no kings, no bishops, no ecclesiastical dominion, no invisible power giving to a few a very visible one” (Crevecoeur, 1782).  

Conversely, in America the people did not face the same repression as the European peoples. Crevecoeur states the “We are all animated with the spirit of an industry which is unfettered and unrestrained, because each person works for himself” (Crevecoeur, 1782).  

Each person working for himself is an important example in personal freedom, because instead of being forced into labor one must do so under his own free volition.

Individual work ethic allows for individual achievement.  Gary Weaver states that “the belief that all people are equal in the eyes of God, if you are a good person and you work hard, God will reward you and you can move up the economic ladder, it is up to the individual to succeed, and so on” (Weaver, 2006).  

Americans, unlike the European people, had the ability to create and benefit from more opportunities due to the lack of government tyranny.  Crevecoeur describes the American government as “mild” (Crevecoeur, 1782) and states that the people do not “[dread] their power” (Crevecoeur, 1782).

America is called the Melting Pot.  The term describes the variety of races and cultures, which has contributed to a unique cultural and racial American identity.  The European settlers were from multiple countries, each brought with them traditions, beliefs, and values specific to their country of origin.  

In Europe, each culture was distinct and separate, due to geographical, political, or social reasons.  In America, the lines between cultures and races became blurred.  

Gary Weaver, a professor at The American University, suggests that this is because of the intermingling of the cultures, which led to cross-cultural marriages and beliefs: “most immigrants tended to intermarry with other ethnic groups fairly quickly…they learned English as a common language, they usually went to public schools that were not segregated by religion, ethnicity or class, and they believed that status is earned by hard work.  The reality is that the only thing they really shared was an identity as an “American” (Weaver, 2006).  

The immense surge of cultural integration led to a unique system of various traditions, which aids in the formation of a complete idea of what an American is.   

Life in the North American colonies varied greatly as with that of the European nations. The colonists enjoyed a variety of freedoms that were not available in Europe because of class distinction and governmental oppression.  

People from all parts of Europe banded together, sharing traditions, ideas, and values, which led to a new system, a new culture, based on compromise and unity.  

John Crevecoeur described what he deemed an American was. He compared the European lifestyles and the settlers’ lifestyles to define the identity of an American.  It is through these three primary means that the American identity was forged.
       
References

Crevecoeur, M. G. (1782). What is an American? Retrieved April 8, 2010, from Encylopedia Britannica: http://america.eb.com.wf2dnvr14.webfeat.org/america/article?articleId=385195&query=What+is+an+American+AND+Crevecoeur
Weaver, G. (2006, July 26). ProQuest. (Lanham, Ed.) Retrieved April 8, 2010, from http://wf2dnvr14.webfeat.org/