American GreedThere was once a time when America's ideals and motivations were pure, but this era was short-lived. America reached its peak of idealism during the Revolutionary War. The dream of escaping British rule and continuing their lives on soil enriched by freedom was what led the colonists to victory against injustice and tyranny. However, once the war was over and the situation calmed down, reality took over. The colonists realized that no matter how passionate they were about their ideals, they could not use these principles to survive in a materialistic world. It was then that America refocused its priorities from hopes and dreams to greed for money and power. Under the new rule of their chosen vices, the United States was ready to take whatever steps it deemed necessary to secure its way of life. Thus began a new era in America's almost non-existent history. America had turned a corner, and not for the better, soon after its creation. The key has been to keep new citizens attuned to the change in tone, but greed can be an effective motivator for both politicians and citizens. In their quest for power, politicians have used every card in the deck to keep their citizens playing. For example, when Americans were looking for a way to expand their union and at the same time looking for some justification, John L. O'Sullivan coined the term “manifest destiny” (Cohen et al. 371). These two magic words dominated American diplomacy in the 1800s and provided the means and motivation for expansion, even if it meant provoking war. That's exactly what he did. In 1846, James K. Polk asked Congress for a declaration of war against Mexico. The reason for his war was that the Mexicans had shed “American blood on American soil” (Kennedy et... at the center of the document ......born immediately after it took off, just like many other settlements. The Americans were blessed by their resilient character and their determination to succeed. Although its practices may seem questionable at times, it is only because it must function within the parameters of a flawed system. Ultimately the United States remains true to its original principles of equality and freedom whenever possible. This precarious balance between practice and faith and its consequences can be illustrated by a passage John Steinbeck once wrote in his book Cannery Row: “It has always seemed strange to me…the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system and those traits which we detest, sharpness, greed, greed, pettiness, selfishness and self-interest are the traits of success..”