America is nicknamed “the land of opportunity” a handle that has different meanings for different people. When I think of America I think of a land of freedom and endless possibilities, but not so long ago some possibilities weren’t offered to certain people. For example, in his 1751 essay “America as a Land of Opportunity,” Benjamin Franklin modeled the land of opportunity to only include whites saying, “Why increase the Sons of Africa, by Planting them in America, where we have so fair an Opportunity, by excluding all Blacks and Tawneys, of increasing the lovely White and Red?”
At the time Franklin was promoting for more Europeans to migrate to America and work, as land was so plentiful and cheap that anyone could come over and start a new life. This essay could solely be linked to the American Dream notion; the idea that in America, if you do what you have to and work hard enough, all of ones dream could come true. That was 1751 and I for one am glad that Franklin’s notion didn’t last long because in time America has become very integrated.
One of the best things about America is the diversity that the country consists of. Surpassing Franklin’s “the land of opportunity,” idea, America has continuously become home to many unique and different people, people of different shapes, colors, ideas, and beliefs. Aside from the numerous economic opportunities, freedom of speech and the freedom of religion, I think that the best thing about America is the chance for any and everyone to express their individuality.
All across the country people express their individuality in many different ways such as the way they dress and the music that they listen to. In my portfolio I’m exploring my own individuality and how important it is for me to have. I came to this topic because I am one of the many homosexual males in America, leading a lifestyle that is somewhat frowned upon by society. In reference to the insert by Benjamin Franklin, I chose it because while on the surface he is advocating a land of only whites, deep down he is rejecting those that were different such as people of color and, if it came down to it, homosexuals. What he did not realize was that it would be the diversity of people, along with their beliefs, values and morals that would make America so great.
Some people may not agree with the ways some people express their individuality, but what should be remembered is that it is our individuality that makes us all unique and having the freedom to express it is what makes America so great. I leave you with the thoughts of James Baldwin:
“Our passion for categorization, life neatly fitted into pegs, has led to unforeseen, paradoxical distress; confusion, a breakdown of meaning. Those categories which are meant to define and control the world for us have boomeranged into chaos; in which limbo we swirl, clutching the straws of our definitions. We find ourselves bound, first without, then within, by the nature of our categorization.”
Baldwin wrote this to describe the chaotic social environment of the United States during the Civil Rights Movement but I think that it appropriately fits here. Baldwin was expressing his belief of unnecessary labeling and categorizing of people of color and difference. As the Civil Rights Movement for equality was countered with violence, perhaps Baldwin was foreshadowing that similar events would continue to occur in the quest for tolerance reflected in today's tumultuous times.
