Free Essays,College Free Essays,Free College Essays at Anti Essays

“O beautiful for patriot dream; That sees beyond the years “. These lyrics come from the classic anthem “America the Beautiful”. You may remember hearing it while doing something else ‘American’, such as attending a baseball game while eating a hot dog, or perhaps while sitting around the TV in the living room with your typical American family, cracking open an ice cold can of Budweiser. However, this quote says a lot about the American principle of Patriotism. Our forefathers fought to provide us with a patriotic homeland that would last far beyond their respective lifetimes. Has it? Americans are a notoriously talkative group. Before America, it often happened that when someone spoke out against their government, they would likely cut their tongue out. Our constitution guarantees us the freedom to express ANY opinion we might have and it was the first to do so. But with the population of this great nation exceeding 300 million people does every citizen really have a say in things? As our population grows more and more diverse, who and what makes an American? Would our 18th century forefathers be proud of the country they envisioned all those years ago? It is these questions that Lewis Lapham asks of us in his article “Who and What is American”, published in Harper’s magazine in 1992. In it, Lapham questions the American identity and the concept of modern day Americanism and attempts to persuade the reader to reconsider some core issues with America. Lapham’s argument is effective because he provides thought and emotionally provoking examples, counter-points to show contrast for his arguments, and an underlying sense of sarcasm and humor.
In the article “Who and What is American”, published in a 1992 edition of Harper’s Magazine, Lewis Lapham criticizes the term “American” in a variety of different contexts. He provides five false statements about Americans and examines why he believes they are false. His first argument contradicts the false construction...