What does it mean to be American? Everyone you ask this question to will have a completely different answer. Some answers may have similarities but none will be exactly the same. At the beginning of the year my response was: “Being American means having a rich history, having opportunities to better yourself, and having freedom.” Unfortunately, not everyone had the same opportunities or freedoms. Native Americans, who are indigenous, faced having their freedoms taken away and having fewer opportunities, even though they had a rich history on this land before it was taken away from them. Look what Zitkala-Sa had to endure. Not only that, but African Americans fought long and hard for freedom and equality as well. WEB Du Bois represented change. His opposition to Booker T. Washington's views is recorded in "The Souls of Black Folk". Immigrants are another oppressed group. Ralph Ellison also talks about the hardships he experienced and how he was treated in “The Invisible Man.” Gloria Anzaldua recounts the first-hand experience of Mexicans having their equality and freedom taken away in “El Sonavabitche.” Native Americans are considered the first group to settle here in what we call America. As I stated before “To be an American is to have a rich history, to have opportunities to better ourselves, and to have freedom.” Native Americans have one of the richest histories of any culture. Stories passed down by their ancestors from generation to generation, they had the ultimate freedom as hunters and gatherers, doing whatever they had to, to survive. The story of what happened to the Native Americans is common knowledge, so I won't talk about it, what I will talk about is someone who endured duress. Zitkala-Sa “School days of an I...... middle of paper ......k as hard as you can only to find out you don't get paid. People argue that immigrants are taking jobs away and they don't have to pay taxes. Imagine if instead of waging a war against "illegal" immigrants, we simply let them in. We allow them to work in the country, earn some money and then take it home. They are working hard. They are trying to better themselves and their families. They're trying to live the American dream, but with all these immigration laws we don't let them. Most people live to work. Have a nice house, a nice car and go on vacation every now and then. But how can we sing a song that says "And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free" if we're not honest? We live in the greatest country of all. What kind of country are we if we don't allow other people the chance to better themselves and have freedom?