Brittany Liu Blog #4 A Place Called Home

The questioning of your American-ness falls into two categories: birthplace and home.  When you are born here, it is automatic that you are a citizen, but does it make you more American than someone who was born in another country, but has lived their whole life in America?  Anderson states "born in Spain, the peninsular could not be a true American" (58).  Of course he was just expressing some of the earlier ideas of citizenship, but it does make one question.  To say that person is not American would be disrespectful when that person calls America their home.  Your home gives you a sense of pride and I believe that is one of the strongest connections among all Americans.      

Even though I have roots from my grandparents and other ancestors in other countries I believe I feel as American as anyone else because this is where I grew up.  I think that your true roots stem and become grounded during your childhood.  That is the period when you truly start to shape who you are by learning, exploring, and observing.  It is the community in which you live in that contributes to your way of thinking and simply your way of life.    After hearing Dr. My Haley's inspirational speech today, the word home was reinvented for me.  It is a sacred place that is hard to replace because of all the memories that are rooted there.  Dr. Haley clearly and beautifully proved this by painting the picture of her childhood community.  It was the people that were the most influential.  Unfortunately, I cannot say that I grew up with that same close-knit community, but I still share that strong connection to my home in Cincinnati, Ohio.  We may not be the same race or come from the same state, but we both call ourselves American because that is where we call home.

No one can clearly and objectively define the American way of life, but I don't think we need to.  I think the beauty of being American is that we cannot define our way of life to a T.  It is our freedom that allows our melting pot to flourish and expand into all directions.  I have the freedom and privilege to live where I want, receive a higher education, and choose my own career and path in life.  We are all American because we not only celebrate our independence, but embrace it by cherishing our melting pot and fighting for our American dream.