I picked Crevecoeur as the one who actually defined and wrote about America as we know it today. At first I though of Thomas Jefferson, because he had a great influence by his writing of the Declaration of Independence. However, I saw his vision of America as more of a farming country with not much industry. I think he was afraid it would turn out like Britian. Crevecoeur made a lot of statements that really define America today such as on Page 312, "What then is an American, this new man?", seeing the new Americans as a great mixture of people from other countries, which was different from other places. On Page 313 he said, "Here individuals from all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world. He visioned America s being one of the greatest countries in the world. He saw the hard working man able to do whatever he set his mind to. "Americans are the western pilgrims, who are carrying along with them that great mass of arts, sciences, vigor, and industry which began long since in the east; they will finish the great circle. (Page 313) Someplace in the article, it said he celebrated diversity of people in one land, working together. He also talked about the decline of the importance of religion. On Page 311, he said, "Who can tell how far it (America) extends? Who can tell the millions of men whom it will feed and contain?" Here he saw millions more people coming to America and America becoming a great nation that was free.