What is an American? Is an American merely a person who is native to the United States? Belonging to, inhabiting, coming from, or forming part of the America's? How does one go about defining an American? Writers such as Patrick Henry, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Paine believed that freedom, work ethic, and patriotism were (and still are) some of the most important and only a sample of the many things that make up an American. …showed first 75 words of 462 total…

…showed last 75 words of 462 total…long as it is within the bounds of contemporary law. Most ethic groups during the 18th, 19th, and 20th, century arrived in the States looking for some form of freedom. Whether it be religious freedoms, moral freedoms, or financial freedoms, these were the things America was expected to provide. In conclusion, to be an American is to possess all the traits of one. That is possession of patriotism, work ethic, and the belief in freedom.