Junior Year English Final

This is my English final from junior year, the prompt was about America Identity. I wanted to add this assignment to my portfolio because of how much I enjoyed that class. The conversations that we had in there and the people I was in with.


America’s Colonial Identity

When we think about colonial America, we think about freedom, opportunity, independence, and rights; I believe that early America’s identity is all about independence. We see that the first few people moved to America because they wanted to escape the controlling government of Great Britain, as noted in Plymouth Plantation. In the Declaration of Independence, we get to see them finalize getting independence from Great Britain after years of the first settlers running away from Britain. Later, we see people get taken away from their homes and brought to America by force and being grateful that they were taken away to be able to have personal independence even when they are living in poor living situations; as illustrated in On Being Brought from Africa to America. Colonial America’s identity was significantly shaped by independence. The texts listed above support my claim because all these people can gain independence when they are in America, no matter how they are living or what constitutes their background.

When we investigate the history of colonial America we always think about The Declaration of Independence as America’s beginning of its being its own country. This is where the founding fathers state that America is finally its own as we see here, “We.... the Representatives of the United States of America …. solemnly publish and declare.... that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;” (The Declaration of Independence, Jefferson, Paragraph 34). In this quote, it states that the colonies that once were under the control of Great Britain are now in control of themselves. America was built off these five ideals' rights, opportunity, liberty, equality, and democracy; we see these ideals throughout history, but the whole reason America is America, because it achieved its independence. The reason why these people moved to America was to get away from religious prosecution. To be able to gain personal independence and to be able to believe in the religion that they want to believe in without having to be punished. We learn that America is built off the Golden Rule which is, to treat others how you would want to be treated.

In the writing, On being brought from Africa to America, we see how people who are forced to come to America are thankful that they had the opportunity to go to America. The author states, "Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land” (On being brought from Africa to America, Wheatley); the word pagan means someone who is not religious, and the quote says that this person is blessed that they were taken away from their land which had no religion and was brought to America and was able to believe in a religion that they choose to believe in. Being taken away from this “Pagan land” led to them gaining new opportunities and having the ability to be themselves. This new land allowed people to pick whom they wanted to be, with no consequences; in other countries, people were being punished or even killed for disagreeing or doing something that didn’t match the social normalities of their society. Even when they were forced to go to this random country, that they had no clue what was waiting for them, they were grateful that they were taken away and could gain this independence, even when they are living in worse conditions.

In the reading Of Plymouth Plantation, we learned about the very first people that migrated from Great Britain to the “New Land”. As we further read we learn about how hard it was for them to get to the new land as said, “Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element” (Of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford, Paragraph 3). Once they finally got to the land they fell to their knees and thanked God for letting them make it there. As many of the people who were on the ship ended up passing away from illnesses and other causes. These people thank God because religion is so important to them it is their number one thing in their life. They technically only had God and each other now. They left everything that they had to start over to just be able to escape the controlling environment that they once lived in. These people gained independence to be able to live the lifestyle that they want to live; to be able to follow the morals that they want to follow. To gain this independence they had to leave their past life behind and put their life at risk.

To think that America started off as random land that people moved to, to be able to live better and people still move to America for this reason is insane. To see that millions of people still risk their lives to be able to come to this land and gain this independence, to achieve goals in which their home country cannot give. Being able to give its citizen independence that they need to live and be able to be themselves. Risking their lives to be able to live their life, the way they plan for it. Even now America is still identifying as the country of independence and freedom, their citizens being able to express themselves “freely”.