Nationality: Nation and Traditional German family Essay examples

Submitted By mil6983
Words: 1542
Pages: 7

I am an American, born and raised in the second state of Pennsylvania, by a traditional German family. My nationality means more than my random association to my home nation-state rather; it is my very being and pride. I wake up every morning to the sight of Old Glory, thankful that I am so lucky to have been raised as an American child, with the American Dream just an arm’s reach away. Many values that Americans share allow our country to stand out among other nations. Our country was founded on the natural values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I also hold family and religion as very important values in relation to my nationality. The right to live is the fundamental right to any being; every other right is derived from this. Liberty is the freedom to live with free-will, in association to religion, occupation, voice, education and lifestyle. The pursuit of happiness is the result of having these natural freedoms. A citizen can achieve and do whatever makes them content, in regards to the laws set to obtain order. Religion is also a value my nationality is founded on. Although there is a separation of church and state, and our nation state is more secular, religion still plays a part in my everyday life. It is a freedom that is exercised daily through prayer, campus ministries, church, and allowing to publicly announce my views. My religious values were fueled by family values. Americans value family with the simple phrase that has become a popular caption and tattoo, “family over everything”. Family values can be branch past blood, and create a bond that connects teams, organizations, friends, and churches with the same values a family would share.
Christmas and the Fourth of July are the holidays that would reflect upon America best. According to Larry Hollon’s 2011 study, Christmas is the most commercialized and celebrated holiday in America. The malls start to decorate for Christmas at the beginning of November, holiday sales consume the papers and television, and the politically correct way to wish someone a “Merry Christmas” has changed to “Happy Holidays”. The birth of Christ is replaced by a jolly man with a bag full of toys, the church replaced by the mall, and the day replaced by a month of shopping and stress. Hollon’s study states that even 80% of atheists celebrate the holiday. Americans have taken a Christian holiday and made it into a national holiday of gift giving and family. The second most celebrated is the Fourth of July, which celebrates our independence from England and establishes the United States as its own nation. Our nation celebrates its day of foundation by setting fire to explosive objects while intoxicated and devouring an abundance of hot dogs. The tradition of lighting fireworks off started in 1777 where the Pennsylvania Evening Post wrote that in Philadelphia, “The evening was closed with the ring of bells, and at night there was a grand exhibition of fireworks (which began and concluded with thirteen rockets) on the Commons, and the city was beautifully illuminated.” Personally, there is no better sight than a dark sky being filled with the sparks of freedom with your family and friends by your side. With American holidays comes a profusion of food. Each American holiday is centered on plenty of appetizers, large dinner, a variety of desserts, but usually ends in wasting half of the food. Americans value food and always have an abundance, but also discard of it just as easy. If you were to sit down in an American restaurant, the menu would consist of mainly beef, chicken and salads. The portion size for one would feed two in any other country. The most American dishes would include hotdogs, hamburgers, apple pie, and anything fried. Americans will fry anything! We even fry our vegetables! My heart regrets the fact that I have tried everything from fried pickles to fried Twinkies; however, our love for processed and fried food reflects upon our health as a