United States America American Nation example essay topic

The United States of America is the most powerful country in the world. With this power comes great influence and responsibility. How we use this influence is a good question. It can be seen everyday in the form of military presence, trade, economic issues, and numerous other interactions. America has become sort of a police force for the world. Whenever something troublesome goes on in another country, America is right there to regulate.

The Vietnam conflict was a perfect example of such force. War was never declared, but the United States was right there helping the South Vietnamese get out of trouble. Unfortunately, this cost thousands of American lives. Our involvement in Croatia, Somalia, Kuwait and countless other countries has been motivated by the need to help defenseless nations. These are all noble causes, but at what expense?

Most agree that Vietnam was overstepping our boundaries, but in most cases America is making the right decisions. Time and time again America performs the noble deed of helping those who cannot help themselves. Much of America's power lies in its economic fortune. The American economy is a model much of the world strives to achieve.

Our system is based on a free market where all people have an equal right to buy and sell goods. The majority of the nation believes that everyone has the opportunity to work and make money. This core belief creates competition within the nation causing people to push harder, striving to beat the next man. If you work hard you can make money, which is the American dream. The principle group the economy is structured around is the middle class. In order to understand why this holds true, one must realize what the middle class is.

In the United States nearly everyone considers himself or herself part of the middle class. Everyone from the working-class is included in this majority. Most products produced are marketed to this class. The purchasing power of this class is constantly increasing and is unbelievable.

Small business run by the middle class make up over eighty percent of all businesses. The American political system is unique and unequaled in success. It is a system never before attempted until the framers of the constitution created it. It has eventually become a republic where all people have the opportunity to have a say in government. The system of checks and balances along with the great power to adapt has made the constitution last as long as it has. All governments, however, face the problem of human imperfection.

There is a great deal of cynicism in the American public because of this imperfection. A vast majority see politicians as being crooked, looking only after themselves. For the most part it is not the government that Americans do not trust, it is the politicians. The government has held true through the years, never giving one group of crooked politicians all the power. The system of checks and balances has kept the American public satisfied. American society is different from most in the world.

The United States is seen as the melting pot of the world. This blend of cultures has created a number of groups that make up society. America is quite the image thriving nation. Everything from the clothes we wear to the food we eat is sold to us through advertising.

Whatever appears to be "cool" in society is what everyone chooses to take part in. Numerous magazines are sold with models on the cover and every other page is an advertisement describing the latest trends. What is popular is spoon fed to the American people everyday. A very large part of American society is sports. The most watched T.V. show every year is the Super Bowl. Professional athletes are given large contracts to endorse just about everything.

Companies sponsor even college athletes, wearing uniforms made by their sponsor, playing in a stadium named after another sponsor. It is this constant advertising that has overwhelmed American society and made it what it is. Education is taken very seriously in the United States. School is mandatory for all children up to a certain age and is offered to everyone regardless of financial conditions. It is America's commitment to educate even the poor that truly makes it the land of opportunity. This commitment continues on, even into secondary education with the generous financial assistance that is given to many.

The United States is a nation that promotes all individual rights and privileges. No religion is outlawed in America. All people are allowed to speak their mind and practice their faith without reproach. Skin color and sex are not indicators of ones worth. All races and creeds have the same right to an education and to operate business.

The government supports many humanitarian causes. Funding is given to the poor in the form of welfare and unemployment. The government even sponsors programs that feed the homeless and battered woman and children. All of this proves America to be a very moral country. With all of the individual rights granted in this country comes the issue of abortion and in a sense the death penalty, two acts that are both morally wrong. Although morally wrong, these actions are permitted within the United States.

This doesn't necessarily make the U.S. an immoral nation, it does however, go back to the issue of human imperfection. The unique circumstances that formed the United States have created a truly unique nation. It is a nation of great diversity and unity. Most forget how fortunate they are to live in such a great country. It is freedom that makes America what it is and this same freedom makes this country last.

This free country has the responsibility to set a moral example, be an economic leader, a political trendsetter, and an aid in troubling times. It is in striving to do these things that the United States influences the world, and it is in succeeding that it changes it.