Most people define their nationality as being born in their country, living their life there, comprehending their language and understanding their culture. In America, a land defined by a diverse population, it is challenging to define national identity.
“I don’t know much about being an American, but I know that you don’t have to be born here to be one,” junior Masha Ivchenko said.
Ivchenko moved to the United States in 2022 from Ukraine.
“Before I came here, I knew that there was an American dream,” Ivchenko said. “Everyone from my city really wanted to go to the United States because they also believed in that dream. I’m really glad that I had an opportunity to come here because I see a lot of opportunities here.”
The “American Dream,” the idea that opportunities await here, and hard work pays off, the idea of being treated fairly based on merit, is what brings so many to America.
“I think the system is definitely a lot more merit-based than most European countries,” junior Vittoria Sofia Testa said. “In Italy, if you know the owner of the cinema and you’re late, they won’t play the movie until you get there. Other people who paid to get the movie have to wait because you’re late. In America, that would never happen.”
However, there is a point of contention on the basis of what created American culture. America is the land of opportunities, drawing many from far and near. Yet prejudices, such as xenophobia, placed against minorities, people of color and certain religious sects, pose the concern of whether or not the American Dream is still available to all.
“I think part of the American dream is a lie,” Testa said. “It’s not available to everybody. [My parents] came over here together, they struggled a little bit, but their definition of struggle is definitely different from someone who immigrated here from the Middle East and has a bunch of prejudice against them. I think you [can no longer] come over here with nothing and build something. That part is long gone. It’s no longer achievable.”
Part of American culture means aligning with a larger identity regardless of one’s native land or regional culture, according to Dr. Elizabeth Bennett, Upper School history teacher. Bennett taught a course on American Identity last year.
“America is a nation of great diversity, geographically, ethnically and culturally,” Bennett said. “Yet, American identity transcends and often celebrates these differences.”
The concept of being able to identify as an American has been a consistent part of the American experience, even in periods of turmoil.
Bennett believes history is also a significant factor in American identity, and values outlined in historical documents such as the Constitution are timeless.
“People often think about their First Amendment rights as being what it means to be an American,” Bennett said. “Having those rights, and having access to those rights, is something that is fundamental to American identity”
Testa said the concept of America remaining a “cultural melting pot” has tremendous appeal.
“It differs so much from state to state, area to area,” Testa said. “I would say everyone is able to find their place. No one is ever super out of place in America. That’s what’s really nice about it. And I think the community is welcoming to everybody, but you do have to find your spot.”
Centuries of immigration from individuals around the world have made America a unique and diverse country in culture and population.
“I think it’s definitely a lot easier to be new to America than it is to be new somewhere else,” senior Fiona Treacy, leader and founder of Gen One American Student Association, said. “For example, I used to live in Killarney, Ireland, and my mom was the only Chinese person in the entire neighborhood. America is a lot easier to be new to because it’s more multicultural and there’s more resources for people who are kind of unfamiliar with the country itself.”
Treacy said it is the blending of cultures that is uniquely American.
“So much of American culture is adopting new ideas and mixing different cultures,” Treacy said. “So, just embracing parts of your own culture while adopting other ones is probably what I think it means to be an American.”
While adopting the American culture, many also recognize the importance of maintaining connection to their native culture.
“I heard somewhere online if you don’t learn the language that your parents speak really [well], then who’s going to teach it to your kids?” Treacy said. “It’s going to lose a huge part of your culture. I wouldn’t want my kid to just have no idea what it was like to be Chinese whatsoever.”
Cultural connections are sustained through food, language, art, family tradition or whatever feels most comfortable and unifying.
“I’m in AP Chinese this year in school,” Treacy said. “I visit Ireland sometimes as well. I’m also able to stay connected through my affinity group. We, as Americans, are often told to embrace our cultures, while also being told to assimilate. Staying true to both me and my culture are important to me, especially in my everyday life.”
Senior Anjali Konda, head of the Multiracial Student Association, has found that celebrating multiple cultures is just as important as individually preserving them.
“The idea that we need to honor our cultures and identities by keeping them pure or keeping them protected from being diluted or changed is a dangerous idea,” Konda said. “I think it’s very infeasible to retain your cultural identity the same way across generations.”
For Konda, blending cultural identities is a trait of American society that makes her feel more accepted.
“One of the beautiful things about America is it is a country where it is very common for people from different places to start families together,” Konda said. “So, I would say that it is something that makes me feel more American, being mixed.”
Every American citizen has the ability to celebrate or combine their cultures in any way they desire, which is one of the strongest reflections of the country’s societal value of freedom.
“The idea that you should be able to make a lot of choices for yourself and that those choices shouldn’t be restrained by what your family has done previously is very American,” Konda said. “There’s a very consistent emphasis on progress and constant innovation. I think you see that in Silicon Valley and that kind of tech innovation side of the U.S.”
Aside from America’s defining values, it remains challenging to identify a specific practice or item that is solely American.
“We don’t have special, iconic imagery, but I think it’s just because a lot of the things that were iconic and special to the US have now spread more,” Konda said. “[It] is not a bad thing, but I think it makes it harder to distinguish specifically American things. I think constantly redefining [what it means to be American] is something that I think of as being indicative of American culture.”
American culture is a tapestry of colorful narratives that are shared and experienced by everyone.
“Some people think that being American is having citizenship,” Testa said. “Some people think coming over on the Mayflower means you’re American. I think being American means living here and attempting to survive in this country, in this community and then really feeling patriotic at the end of it anyway, even if you’re suffering.”
