Vinny Pindell

10/15/18
Ms. Young
English 11: American Literature

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow in the United States

What is an American today? Many people have proposed this question including J.

Hector St. John de Crevecoeur. Born in Normandy, France in 1735, he attempted to explain what

an American was in his writings Letters from an American Farmer. Crevecoeur’s views vary

tremendously to the American experience of today especially his ideas regarding the economy

and immigration.

Crevecoeur’s writing alters from today’s society due to his economic view point. One

instance where Crevecoeur displays his differing opinion of the United States economy occurs

when he explains the foundation of the society, and the people. “Here are no aristocratical

families, no courts, no kings, no bishops, no ecclesiastical dominion, no invisible power giving to

a few a very visible one; no great manufacturers employing thousands, no great refinements of

luxury” (Crevecoeur, 1) This quote explains that America differs from England due to the

Monarchy or bishops, and demonstrates that America has no big industries that employ multiple

citizens. This contrasts with the modern-day business world due to the large “almost”

monopolies that employ many Americans and is prevalent to our economy today. For instance,

Amazon, a major distributor of goods, generated 136 billion dollars last year and has over 550

thousand employees nationwide. In addition, Apple Inc., a technology industry, created 52.6

billion dollars in the fourth financial quarter, and 47 thousand employees in the United States.

Industries like Amazon and Apple create an enormous amount of business today.
 Furthermore, Crevecoeur’s writing alters from today’s society due to his opinions on

immigration and how it affects the American identity. When Crevecoeur describes immigration

and the ethnicity of Americans, he completely misses who America is today. “...What then is the

American, this new man? He is either an European, or the descendant of an European, hence that

strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country” This quote reports that the

entire population of America at that time were Europeans, or decedents of Europeans. Today,

according to infoplease.com, the United States is 63.7% Caucasian, 16.3 percent Hispanic,

12.2% African American, 4.7% Asian, etc. This demonstrates that the United States is in

majority white, but there are many races prevalent today. America is truly a “melting pot” of all

the nations of the world, not just the European nations that Crevecoeur stated.

In conclusion, Crevecoeur’s writing alters from today’s society primarily due to his

views on the economy, and immigration. Imagine if Crevecoeur could experience the current

day, and view how his thoughts and opinions differed. It would be interesting if today’s trends

will still thrive one hundred years into the future, or if new nations and ideas spark new

developments.