DBQ Essay: Does American Identity Change?

Words: 607
Pages: 3

Throughout history someone’s identity can change due to their circumstances and their choices on how to react to a country’s culture. Many articles deal with American identity and how it is constantly changing, while some provide their view on how American identity does not change. Identity is constantly changing and is a fluid idea. The reasoning for this is through people from all over the world, assimilating and expressing their ideas in forms of protests in America. Some may say that one’s identity cannot change and that they can be grouped underneath one common label. Identity can stay the same due to cultural norms throughout generation that are passed on from parent to child. Coates believes that “It is heritage,” that the black body is destroyed as he takes a stance on how Identity does not change and how it is tradition to destroy one's body for America. Identity does not change because people only adapt and at their core are still the same person regardless of their outer looks and views. Identity can “turn into a dark stairwell and your body can be destroyed” since after all it is heritage to destroy …show more content…
Someone’s acceptance of another culture can change their identity as Mukherjee explains how she has assimilated into American culture by giving America “the price the immigrant willingly pays” (Doc E). The fluidity of identity allows a person to invent themselves and become their own person rather than another nameless face in society. “If you leave a thing alone, you leave it to a torrent of change,” (Doc C). As such, if someone’s identity does not change, it is left to be tormented by the idea of change, as nothing can stay stopped forever and identity is no different because everyone’s identity is constantly changing and evolving to forge a unique identity that is like no