When Christopher Columbus discovered what he thought was India, he decided to travel further into the mainland. Columbus thought that if he traveled further into the city he would find something that would remind him of his native Spain. Sadly, he did not find what he was looking for. Back then America did not have the luxury of the things that America has now. For example, when Columbus stumbled across America, there was no such thing as a democratic government, and there were not the types of cities like the ones he was used to in Spain. The image of America to Columbus back then has changed in many ways. Some of the ways that the image of America has changed are that we now have laws governing the people created by the people, rights such as freedom of speech, and democracy. These are just a few of the things that have sculpted the image of America.
Laws are one of the many great things that we have now to help keep people in line. When Columbus discovered America, there were no laws or rules to help keep people from committing crimes such taking land away from the natives, or taking advantage of people in other ways. These laws were created to keep people safe, bring justice to the people, and promote good citizenship. Think about it, if we did not have a set of laws to follow our world would be in chaos. Without laws, people would be taken advantage of in every way. Anyone who was stronger or had more guns could take away land, property or lives away from those weaker than themselves. Having laws and guidelines for living together peacefully promote good citizenship among the people. Citizenship is a big part of the American image. For example, good citizens abide by the laws, respect and care for one another and the political process. The laws are something that helps to shape peoples ideas about citizenship and the image of a united America.
Something else that sculpts America’s image is the fact that we have certain rights as American citizens. These were given to us in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights after we won our independence from England. One of the rights I think is most important is freedom of speech. Without this right we would not be able to express our opinions freely. We as Americans would not be able to show our true identity. In some other countries people do not have freedom of speech. If someone in Iraq, for example, were to step up and say something that was critical of the government, they might be killed or jailed without the benefit of a trial. People in other countries are not able to stand up and say what is on their mind. We are lucky that we are able to stand up and express ourselves through our words and our appearance. Freedom of speech is just one of the examples of how much America has developed over the years.
Finally, America’s image has changed with our belief in democracy. The citizens of America can vote on who we want to run our country every four years. In Columbus’ time, his country was ruled by a king and queen as part of a Monarch. The king and queen set the rules and their word was the law. We still see countries today where people do not live in a democracy. In Iraq, before we captured Saddam Hussein, he had ruled the country for many years. He was very cruel to his people, and would kill them if they had done something wrong. For example, the soccer team that represented his country did poorly when they were playing. Since the soccer team performed poorly Saddam had them killed. The way that the government was in Iraq, when Saddam would pass on, his sons would take over. If one of the citizens would try and speak out, or if someone else wanted to try and rule the country, Saddam would have them killed. In some other countries elections are rigged so the ruling party can stay in office. Examples such as these prove why we are so lucky to have the type of government that we have now. The American image has been shaped by its democratic form of government.
When Columbus came to America, he traveled inland to try and see if there were any cities or towns that were ruled by kings or queens like his native country of Spain. He found a place with lots of resources, isolated from the rest of the world and he wanted to claim our world for Spain. When the pilgrims landed, they wanted to claim the world for Britain. America has grown so much since then. We have a democratic government with laws protecting the rights of its citizens rather than a monarchy. We are free to express ourselves in any way that we want as long as we are sensitive to the rights of others. We are able to have our own identity. We are able to stand up and speak about what we believe is right for us and for the people of America. We are able to help others around the world, because of our belief that people should govern themselves and have rights that allow us to be free. These are some of the things that have helped to shape the America we live in today.
