The Unrestricted American

Chicago
Naming this class (Re-Discovering America) was a challenge for the group. We dedicated nearly an entire pre-summer class meeting to the task of giving it an appropriate name. Our decision was very important because it would need to incorporate many things with minimal words. The final decision reflects not only a physical America but a person can also imply with ease that the discovery of the American identity is necessary too. This is very challenging. You have the arguments rooted in citizenship for one thing. In the book “The Thirteen American Arguments” by Howard Fineman you read the various arguments that support different definitions of the term American. At one point he refers to the ideas of American-ism that Teddy Roosevelt held. These ideas were that to be American a person can have on divided allegiance to another country. Before leaving for this trip I thought that this was a decent answer for this question. However after completing over half of our journey thus far I am no longer certain that I feel this way. The last few days have been spent in very different and unique cities. Each one showing me ideas and perspectives that I had not considered before. Each one also gave me more insight on what I considered to be American. I no longer think that one flag is necessary for a person to declare their Americanism. In fact that is slightly disgusting and pompous sounding now.

In Chicago I went into Boystown and it was the beginning to Pride weekend. I cannot recall seeing any American flags displayed. I did however see plenty of multi-colored pride flags. I loved it. At that point I recognized that a flag is meant to express emotion. What is truly wrong with loving something so much that one would wish to display it to the public no matter the amount of flack they may receive for it. In fact I find that much more compelling and fitting to the American idea of freedom of expression than a person who flies an American flag out of ignorance.

Fineman gives a better idea of what it means to be American by recognizing our differences.

"We are found on ideas, not genetics; on aspirations, not the accidents of geography. We do not trace our nationhood to tribal history, bit to a concept of liberty and constitutional order that was unique in the world… In theory anybody can become American."

After going around Chicago I was fully able to appreciate this statement. All Americans do not fit into just one box and cannot be defined by such.