Pick one street in a major city in America. On that street you will see more diversity and culture then some people see in their entire life. We have so many different customs, cultures, traditions and people. In a country full of so many different things, how do we know what a true American is?

If I were to ask the public this question I would get answers like, they speak English, they were born here, or they are white. However, that cannot be true. The majority of the people who started this country in the first place did not abide by those standards. Just like today, they were all different. They came from all over Europe and other countries just looking for a new, better place to start. When America started, this wasn’t a question our ancestors asked themselves. They were simply Americans. Anyone who was here or helped out was American. They wanted this country to be better then where they were from. That was the idea that brought everyone here. If someone were to come here they would be free of judgment. They could be free to do what they wanted and be who they are. There was no one here to tell them that they were wrong or unworthy because of where they were from. Everyone was and still is equal.

America today is all about diversity. People cannot go to any place or be on any street without seeing someone from another race or culture. That’s what is so great about where we are. Not everyone is the same; we all value and believe in different things. This opens us up to so many opportunities and chances to learn new things. There is more room for newer and better things to develop. There are so many things coming together to make something great, to make things that we can be proud of. America is constantly trying to be better and be ahead in what’s new in the world. We want to invent the next best thing or find the cure for something big. We have an advantage that other countries do not have. We have people here from every country in the world. They come together with their ideas and make America what it is. We are not Americans because of what we have. We are Americans because of what we give and contribute to this country.

Our families here are not all the same either, including mine. They are all unique. One of my younger sisters is adopted and her father was Mexican. Families now are getting more and more mixed. There are people with Asian, Mexican, and African children or family members. They live here and will eventually grow up and get jobs here. They all contribute to this country. They are just as American as I am. They can be adopted from a family here, move here with their family, or even come here alone. They are no different. Our skin may not be the same and one may celebrate Christmas while the other celebrates Hanukkah. We are all still here and we are all still the same in some way.

There is no such thing as a true American. We are all American. Every person, building, company and street is different from the next. Together they make up the country we are all apart of. Everything is so different and unique but at the same time it all fits together, just like the streets we live on. America doesn’t make us. We make America.