What is An American ? a blog on american studies

  What describes a Home? The Merriam-webster dictionary definition of Home is one's place of residence or a place of origin. I believe that a home is a place of emotional attachment that allows a person to be at peace and feel safe within the space. I think a home isn't limited to a person's primary residence; rather, it encompasses any place with a warm emotional attachment. Examples include a relative's house, school, place of worship, or historical buildings. In some contexts, people refer to countries of origin as home because of the cultural values and practices they are accustomed to. What Places Matter to Me ? I care about places that allow me to be at ease, such as beaches, sports stadiums, and my bedroom.  Beaches provide a chance for me to really appreciate nature compared to other places as well as relax. Sports stadiums provide comfort as I am around semi-like-minded individuals who just want to escape the outside world and just be immersed in a game for a f...

  News Consumption My relationship with the news is pretty average as I keep up with National news sometimes, but struggle to keep up with local news. The reason for this dynamic is based on how frequently my parents consume the news which has created a disdain for the news. Oftentimes I receive my news through social media because I tend to be on that medium than Tv broadcast.   The pros to how I consume media are: The accessibility,  Brief overview First-hand accounts/ Live footage The cons to how I consume media is that I have to fact-check to make sure that what I'm consuming is actually true. Within Fact-checking, I may lead to searching through many pieces of news to get the correct version of the story. The podcast episode I chose was Standing in rising water because of how I typically consume news media. In the episode, the host engages the audience shortly after governmental lockdowns had taken place and there was a very grim outlook on what may happen next....

 On September 10th 2022 the city of Cambridge Maryland unveiled a brand new statue of Harriet Tubman. As part of an ongoing Bicentennial celebration, there were additional celebrations that continued throughout the day to commemorate the occasion. Many notable people spoke during the 2 hour line ceremony, such as the Mayor of Cambridge, a US senator as well as some foreign dignitaries.  While attending the event I learned that Cambridge has a rich history with the Underground Railroad. Tubman’s first successful rescue of a close family member came within the city of Cambridge. In addition to Cambridge served as a place where Tubman would navigate through to reach northern states. Many of those whom followed Tubman through Cambridge and made it to Canada, were able to go back and settle within Sierra Leone. One of the foreign dignitaries that spoke she was a direct descendant of a freed slave that had been helped by Tubman.  Though the day was rich in history and was very ...

  Who am I?: My name is Michael Ford and I am a senior here at UMBC. I study psychology and sociology and intend to use them to help people in my community. I hope to one day inspire my three nephews to go to college and use their education to impact others as well as elevate others around them. In life, I one day aspire to help institute change which can impact the lives of hundreds of people.    Togtherness : Pictured above is a family renioun, and it contains a large group of people coming toghether to enjoy one another. In addition this picture also explifies an aspect what i believe an American is which is being able to belong to a group and celebrate in harmony. What is an American?:  Though it may seem like a straightfoward answer, being an American is an identity that anyone can inherit. Tradtionally people may view the idea of being an American as being someone who lives in the US. I think the defintion goes beyond that and includes the idea of people beleiv...