Thursday, September 13, 2012
Who were the "real" Americans?
After reading texts from the three authors, Crevecoeur, Tocqueville and Turner, we started to notice how their views of the colonial Americans were in some places different and in some very similar. In each text, each author describes who they believed to be "real" Americans and how these Americans emerged among Europeans. How do Crevecoeur, Tocqueville, and Turner differ in their beliefs of who were the "real" Americans? How were their beliefs similar?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
All three of these authors have different ideas about who Americans were; but in some ways their ideals were similar. Crevecoeur for example believed that the true Americans were farmers. He believed this because framers were hardworkers and we're the people who were willing to work for their success. This same view of Americans can be seen in Tocqueville and Turner. Tocqueville believed that Americans we greedy, in a sense, they were always looking for the next thing that will make them happy. This can been viewed as hard work because Americans were always working for the next thing what will make them happy. Turner believed that the true American lied in the frontier of America. The frontiersmen in the eyes of Turner because they had to work for everything they had and were the futherest away from European influences. Although these authors had similar views on who the real Americans were some of their views were different. They were different because Crevecoeur believed that farmers because they were away from the industry of the south (for example) were able to work hard without material distractions. That is they were able to work without the greediness that Tocqueville saw. Tocqueville saw that Americans were greedy although this meant they worked hard, he saw it as our ancestors not being able to enjoy the little things in life. Turner saw the true American as something completely different from the latter two; he saw the true American in the frontier. The pioneers exploring new lands, living in the wild of America, and living away from the influences of England. All in all Tocqueville, Turner, and Crevecoeur all viewed the true American in similar ways but these ways had differences amongst them.
ReplyDeleteYo Tocqueville thinks everyone is pretty greedy. It's just the democracy in America gives ya chances to get whatever you want.
DeleteCrevecoeur and Turner both discuss the nationality of Americans. They state that America was founded by many different nationalities and cultures. Crevecoeur believes that this is a good thing. Being part of this "melting pot" of nationalities located along the coast helps define Americans. Turner on the other hand believes that the true Americans are found further into the back country. They are not direct descendants from the foreign nationalities that came to American. He sees the pioneers who head westward as more American than those along the coast.
ReplyDeleteI think that all the three authors have a good opinion of Americans and all of them knew that there was something special in this people that allowed to "build" this country. However every author chooses a different way of describing Americans: Crevecoeur is the one that most glorify the population and particularly farmers, that are the bearers of strong values as honor, dignity and equality. Instead Tocqueville describes Americans as patriotic people that are never satisfied although they have many possibilities and opportunities. Finally Turner identifies Americans with the people who were in the frontiers that were able to separate themselves form the Europeans and to create a new identity. All of them however, as already mentioned, were conscious of the fact that all those things could be peculiar only of America.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Merritt's analysis dealing with the separate nationalities and the two authors' different takes on that. I also think that Crevecouer was extremely over confident in the sense that he overestimated the Americans and gave them more praise than what they deserved. This doesn't go to say that Americans weren't a hardworking or diligent people; however, I think that Tocqueville and Turner make more realistic observations of the American people. Tocqueville viewed Americans as greedy and always wanting the next big thing, and Turner thought that the real Americans came from the frontier and had the qualities of hard-workers who had the potential to create their own identity for themselves as a nation better known as America.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all your opinions that each of these authors have their own opinions of who are the real americans. For Turner, the real americans were the ones who are in the fronteer, they were the hard working ones who strived to make America, "America." He believed as people moved farther west away from the eastern coast they were becoming more and more American. As they moved, they shed all of the quality of Europeans and they established more American ones. For Toqueville, the ideal Americans were the farmers in the east. The farmers embody the ideal qualities of American. They provide for society and they give life to people. The only way a civilization can be successful is if there is a surplus in food. Toqueville, believes that ideal americans are the mix of many europeans. If someone had irish-french mother and a german-english-italian father they are blessed with the diversity that make America so special.
ReplyDeleteI think that all three of them have a slightly different views of the character of a "real American". According to Crevecoeur the real American is a honest hardworking farmer and an individual who obeys government. Turner also used the idea of farming as a great influence on the development of American characteristics and values. On the other hand, Tocqueville's American fears that he will cease to live before he has enjoyed all the goods. The materialism is more important to him than character values. What the three of them have in common is that they talk about the character of American as of an individual with completely new view of life, which wasn't that obvious during the 18th century.
ReplyDelete