What does it mean to be American? Everyone you ask this question will have a completely different answer. Some answers may have similarities, but no two will be exactly the same. At the beginning of the year, my response was: “To be an American is to have a rich history, to have the opportunity to improve, and to have freedoms. » Unfortunately, not everyone has had the same opportunities or freedoms. Native Americans, who are indigenous, faced loss of freedoms and fewer opportunities, even though they had a rich history on this land before it was taken away from them. Look what Zitkala-Sa endured. Not only that, but African Americans also fought long and hard for freedom and equality. WEB Du Bois was for change. His opposition to the views of Booker T. Washington is recorded in "The Souls of Black Folk." Immigrants are another oppressed group. Ralph Ellison also talks about the hardships he endured and how he was treated in "Invisible Man." Gloria Anzaldua recounts the first-hand experience of Mexicans who lost their equality and freedoms in “El Sonavabitche.” Native Americans are considered the first group to settle here in what we call America. As I said earlier: “Being an American means having a rich history, having the opportunity to improve, and having freedoms. » Natice Americans have one of the richest histories of any culture. Thanks to the stories passed down by their ancestors from generation to generation, they had 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, I'll talk about 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're not getting paid. People claim that immigrants take away jobs and that they don't have to pay taxes. Well, imagine if, instead of waging a war against “illegal” immigrants, we just let them in. Allow them to work in the country, earn money and then bring it home. They work 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, go on vacation from time to time. 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 righteous. We live in the greatest country of all. What type of country are we if we don't give others the opportunity to improve themselves and have freedoms?