# data[].attributes.headline
"The American is a new man, who acts up on new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions"

# data[].attributes.subject
"The American is a new man, who acts up on new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions"

# data[].attributes.body
Letters from an American Farmer, Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur (1782)

This letter was written six years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the man that wrote this letter was a farmer who believed in the American dream. This quote shows what the founding fathers imagined how America would be. It was though of as a place of boundless opportunity to succeed where new thoughts and ideas would be valued and a place where everyone would have an equal playing field.

# data[].attributes.headline
"Since the days when the fleet of Columbus sailed into the waters of the New World, America has been another name of opportunity, and the people of the United states have taken their tone from the incessant expansion"

# data[].attributes.subject
"Since the days when the fleet of Columbus sailed into the waters of the New World, America has been another name of opportunity, and the people of the United states have taken their tone from the incessant expansion"

# data[].attributes.body
The Significance of the Frontier in American History, Fredrick Jackson Turner (1893)

booklet

Similarly to the previous quote this is about how originally the American dream was based on the idea that you can use this new and undiscovered land to pave a new path on your terms. Westward expansion showed that taking a leap of faith into the unknown could produce a very large reward.

# data[].attributes.headline
"I ask only that what every self-respecting American demands from himself and from his sons shall be demanded of the American nation as a whole. Who among you would teach your boys that ease, that peace, is to be the first consideration in their eyes-to be the ultimate goal after which they strive?"

# data[].attributes.subject
"I ask only that what every self-respecting American demands from himself and from his sons shall be demanded of the American nation as a whole. Who among you would teach your boys that ease, that peace, is to be the first consideration in their eyes-to be the ultimate goal after which they strive?"

# data[].attributes.body
The Strenuous Life, Theodore Roosevelt (1899)

Booklet

Roosevelt's mission with this speech was to inspire the people of America at that time. A significant driving factor that inspires a lot of Americans is status. In this speech Roosevelt is trying to highlight that feeling and make people want to succeed for future generations. He is trying to convey that a part of being American is being prideful in what you do with your life.

# data[].attributes.headline
"Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed-Let it be that great strong land of love where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme that any man be crushed by one above... O, let my land be a land where Liberty is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, but opportunity is real, and life is free"

# data[].attributes.subject
"Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed-Let it be that great strong land of love where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme that any man be crushed by one above... O, let my land be a land where Liberty is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, but opportunity is real, and life is free"

# data[].attributes.body
Let America be America Again (1936)

This excerpt from a poem is about African Americans fighting for equal rights. I believe that this is a perfect example of what it means to be an American. Fighting for your rights and not giving up is what America was built upon and it is that passion in fighting for what is right that is a quality shared among every person living in America.

# data[].attributes.headline
"In a world as wrong as this one, all we can do is make things as right as we can"

# data[].attributes.subject
"In a world as wrong as this one, all we can do is make things as right as we can"

# data[].attributes.body
The Bean Tree, Barbra Kingsolver

As much as people would like to try and imagine things as always being perfect that is not the reality. Nothing in life is perfect and that's what makes it special and unique. There is no set definition of what an American is but this quote does an excellent job of trying to define it. All being an American is, is trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel and fight for what you believe in. Kingsolver shows that for some people their American dream isn't to become a millionaire or president. It is a woman trying her hardest to provide for a child she calls her own and that's all she wants.

# data[].attributes.headline
"I belong to no race nor time. I am the eternal feminine with its string of beads. I have to separate feeling about being an American citizen and colored. I am merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries"

# data[].attributes.subject
"I belong to no race nor time. I am the eternal feminine with its string of beads. I have to separate feeling about being an American citizen and colored. I am merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries"

# data[].attributes.body
In search of Zora Neale Hurston, Zora Neale Hurston (1975)

I envision this quote to be a woman raising her fist in the air and taking a big step into the unknown. Hurston perfectly shows that you don't need to be physically strong to be a great fighter. Similarly to the previous quote this shows the fighter spirit in Americans and that anyone can be the one to take that step to fight for what is right.

# data[].attributes.headline
"glory is fleeting but obscurity is forever"

# data[].attributes.subject
"glory is fleeting but obscurity is forever"

# data[].attributes.body
The movie Glory

This movie is all about taking your shot for America and thing about being an American is that whether it is real or not it is the idea that there is a hope of tomorrow and there is a chance to be safe is enough incentive to fight with all your heart.

# data[].attributes.headline
"There's a girl in the backyard bangin' on her drum sittin' in a junk pile laughing at the sun singin' "ah ha ha, I just wanna be a rockstar .... And maybe we will never figure it out I got a feelin' that's what life's all about I'm learning anything is possible now"

# data[].attributes.subject
"There's a girl in the backyard bangin' on her drum sittin' in a junk pile laughing at the sun singin' "ah ha ha, I just wanna be a rockstar .... And maybe we will never figure it out I got a feelin' that's what life's all about I'm learning anything is possible now"

# data[].attributes.body
Rockstar, Great Big World

This song was written to inspire others to follow their dreams. A girl playing the drums in a pile of trash can become a Rockstar if she believes in herself. At its base core what it means to be an American is to follow your dreams. This band A Great Big World shares a very inspiring message that you are capable of doing whatever you set your mind to and that is what I believe it means to be an American

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
[Verse 1]
There's a girl in the backyard bangin' on her drum
Sitting in a junkpile laughing at the sun
Singing, "Ah ha ha, I just wanna be a rockstar"
There's a boy in the backseat singing to the song
Playing on the radio knowing he's the one
Singing, "Ah ha ha, I just wanna be a rockstar"
Singing, "Ah ha ha, I was born to be a rockstar"

There's a girl in the treetop looking at the stars
Waiting for a touchdown coming in from Mars
Thinking, "Is there anybody out there?"
There's a boy thinking of her playing his guitar
Searching for the answer buried in his heart
Thinking, "Ah ha ha, is there anybody out there?
Singing, "Ah ha ha, is there anybody out there?"
[Chorus]
If there's a meaning can you show me a sign?
The more I look it just gets harder to find
The world is spinning and I wanna know why

[Verse 3]
And we're all getting older wishing we were young
Hanging on the memory of what we would be become
Singing, "Ah ha ha, I was born to be a rockstar"
Singing, "Ah ha ha I just wanna be a rockstar"
Singing, "Ah ha ha I was born to be a rockstar"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Verse 1] / There's a girl in the backyard bangin' on her drum / Sitting in a junkpile laughing at the sun / Singing, "Ah ha ha, I just wanna be a rockstar" / There's a boy in the

# data[].attributes.headline
"whatever America hopes to bring pass in the world must first come pass in the heart of America"

# data[].attributes.subject
"whatever America hopes to bring pass in the world must first come pass in the heart of America"

# data[].attributes.body
Dwight Eisenhower

This is a speech given by a United States president and the message behind this is that if the people of America have their heart behind what they are passionate for that they can achieve anything and that it doesn't matter what it is as long as the people come together anything is possible.

# data[].attributes.headline
"the best way to guarantee loss is to quit"

# data[].attributes.subject
"the best way to guarantee loss is to quit"

# data[].attributes.body
Morgan Freeman

This is a quote I remember often and I think it does a great job of showing not only the genius of Morgan Freeman but also a great answer to what does it mean to be an American. Think of someone who has been successful in their life. Although success is subjective I would say that success is a product of determination and self confidence. If you never give something an honest try you will never know if you could have succeeded. To be an American you need to believe in yourself and believe that you are capable of doing great things.

# data[].attributes.body
yellow=poem

green=book

blue=on my own