title change.

      Alright, so I wanted to start of by saying that there is a distinct difference between the Pilgrims and the Puritans. Even though many use the two interchangeably, the two are not synonyms for each other. Both the Pilgrims and the Puritans disagreed with many things about the Church of England and both groups settled in large numbers in what is now Massachusetts. The Pilgrims were separatists who believed that the Church of England could not be reformed. Separatist groups were illegal in England, so the Pilgrims fled to America and settled in Plymouth. The Puritans however, were non-separatists who wished to adopt reforms to purify the Church of England. They received a right to settle in the Massachusetts Bay area from the King of England.

      Now that we have that out the way, I shall move onto the more interesting things. The Puritans were obviously not actually as the Hollywood movies portray them to be. For many, the word "Puritan" provokes ideas of constant bible reading, no fun and dull colors. This is simply because that's what's depicted in the history books. While on the contrary,  Not all Puritans wore only black-and-white with hats as tall as Abe's and flooding pants. Many painted their homes in multicolor, not only brown. In addition to this, many wore colorful clothing, drank alcohol in moderation, and even dated. The Puritans also danced and enjoyed life all together. They were human-beings not just zombie Jesus-Followers. But, God was the center of their Universe and they were completely obsessed with not wasting a second and in some cases, outlawed Holidays (even Christmas) because they saw them as a waste of time. 

      The Puritans were behind many witch trials, scares and hunts. The most famous of those occurred in Salem, Mass. Over the period of 10 months, 165 people were accused of being a witch in Salem. Also, in that same 10 month period, 150 people were put in prison. 19 young women were hanged in Salem accused of being a witch. One man refused to admit he was a witch and was crushed to death with stones as the authorities tried to get a confession. It is a common belief that witches were burned in Salem after being convicted, while actually they were only hung until dead. 

      300 years after these  horrid events, the Governor of Massachusetts, Jane Swift, issued a proclamation that stated that those who were accused of committing "witch craft" or any wrong doing to others were innocent. This proclamation was issued on October 31, 1992. Today, there is a theory that identifies the cause of Salem's hysteria to be Ergot or Fungus Poisoning. While imagination also played a large role in the trials. Many falsely accused others out of greed and vengeance. Thus resulting in unjust convictions.
      After the 17 century, the Puritans' attitudes and ethics continued to develop an influence on American society. They made a virtue of qualities that made for economic success and also influenced modern social and economic life. Qualities included: self-reliance, frugality, industry, and energy. Their concern for education was important in the development of the United States, and the idea of congregational democratic church government was carried into the political life of the state as a source of modern democracy.

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American [uh-mer-i-kuhn]-noun, as defined by Dictionary.com, is simply a citizen of the United States of America. 

However, there is truly much more to being an American then just being a citizen. An American can get through so much to obtain the honor of holding such a title. An American can have a background and culture so unlike another. An American can be different and still fit in. Being an American is for the most part something to be proud of. If there is nothing in your life you feel you have accomplished, you can cross "become an American" off your list. That is, if you are an American? To me, an American is not an adjective or noun. It is not a word placed to separate the people in the United States from those in Africa, Asia or even Europe. An American is defined by those who are American. To understand the complete concept of being an American, you must become one yourself? How is that possible if you do not know what an American is? It's not that complicated. Being an American is almost a state of being. It can not be completely verified by "papers" or forms with signatures.    

From my own experiences, I did not come to America in a boat. I did not walk across the border with bare feet or illegally "jump" gates to California. No, I took the easy way. Through my mama's tummy. The day I was born, I came to America fair and square without the hassle of sneaking in. I automatically became a citizen and had my entitlement to become an American. But was I really an American? At that moment as an infant, I definitely knew less about being an American than those who actually had to smuggle themselves across the borders. But I was actually born here and with that became an "American." Obviously there is something wrong here. 

According to official documents, I am an American. With this, I have been granted the freedom of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but to me I think I have not been given this fairly. I'm not exactly sure if I am American. I haven't done anything noble like join the Military or run for President. I don't really know what it means to be an American. Thus, I am not exactly 100 percent sure I actually am one. I celebrate the fourth of July every year with barbecues and fireworks, but what does that really mean? I'm not a be fan of McDonald's. But on the other hand, Hamburgers are pretty delicious. Can I still be an American? 

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Alright so I'm pretty sure a majority of people have at least been in one form of conflict or another. Well, conflicts (or fights) can either end in one of two ways. Either both sides decided that it wasn't that important and resolve it, or they both act immature and never decide to fix the problem. From my own experiences, I would say that I usually forgive and forget. I mean what's the point of holding grudges, right? But, not all people would agree with me...

Many conflicts these days have ended fatally. I guess no one really values life the way they should. Have you ever wandered through a neighborhood, wondering if you were going to get shot or not? I mean come on, why would anyone shoot you? You didn't do anything wrong, right? Wrong! Man, it's called "Crossfire." You being in the wrong place at the wrong time can end your life. Why does this have to be? Conflict. Conflict between people who just don't like each other. A conflict you shouldn't have to be apart of, right? I guess I have a lot of  question for you reader..but it's true. Conflict between two different groups. Gangs. And your life could be taken away because of it. That's crap. It's messed up.

Anyway, conflict for the most part is a waste of time. Peace and love guys that will make the world go round. Why get mad when you can get glad? I know I stole that from a commercial (those Glad garbage bags) but seriously that is the most inspiring quote ever. Gosh, I think everyone should live by that. But seriously, conflict for the most part gets us no where. It's unnecessary and useless.

I mean think about it. All the soldiers dying in Iraq. All the bombs. All the terror. It's insane and all because the "man" in charge believes he's right and the other side.... Is wrong. Crap. It's crap. No need for violence y'all. Peace in da Middle East. Seriously, all this war and fighting crap is not worth it. Man, people be stupid.

Like the Black Eyed Peas said:

"People killin', people dyin'

Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love."

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