Crevecoeur’s Impressions of America
Uploaded by merafera on Nov 14, 2007
A priceless vase or sculpture does not begin as such, but must be formed from a lump of clay. An artist must take great care to shape and mold the characteristics that will define its future beauty and eliminate those blemishes that detract from its value. This is similar to the formation of America. While raw in its beginning it was at the mercy of its first inhabitants to mold it into a useful vessel. Taking great care to hone and shape positive characteristics and removing those that were not for the good of the creation. Through Crevecoeur’s eyes we see a country beginning to take shape embracing religious tolerance, offering opportunities to those citizens forgotten in other cultures, and struggling with its own definition of social classifications.
Crevecoeur is taken aback by the relaxed way that Americans deal with religious dogma in a new environment. While many nations were bound to strict state sanctioned religious observances where deviation was not only frowned upon, but legislated against. America was an experiment in tolerance. Cities and dwellings were no longer divided by religious lines. Many religions even shared a common house of worship. Most shocking was the lack of emphasis on same-faith marriage. Crevecoeur believed that this acceptance would eventually lead to the disillusion of religious emphasis all together. This evaporation of religious boundaries, in his mind, would further solidify the nation.
The open-door policy that America embraced brought many who had lost hope in the economic and political structure of modern society. Those encumbered by a strict social class were handcuffed to an impoverished living with little chance to achieve more. The promise of America brought hope and opportunity. Unburdened of the social structure that limited financial and social growth new citizens were free to explore economic and social avenues that would not otherwise be available. America offered the promise of a place for men to become men no longer “useless plants” dependant upon the government for sustenance and value.
With all of the promises that America brought they still struggled with social class distinctions. The cities and towns in the south were bustling centers of commerce, but the dark cloud of slavery hung over every celebration. The wealth enjoyed by so many was built upon the backs of slaves. ...