107790

In the National Archives and Records Adininistration's 1999 Annual Report, National Archivist John W. Carlin wntes, "We are different becanse our government and our way of life are not based on the divine right of kings, tlie hereditary privileges ot elites, or the entorcement of deterence to dictators. They are based on pieces of paper, the Charters of Freedom - the Declaration tliat asserted our independence, tlie Constitution tliat created our governinent, and the Bill of Rights tliat established our liberties."[l]

American way of life in popular culturc Comics

The comic book superhero Superman fights tor "truth, justice and tlie American way." In sonie modern comic books it has been changed to "truth, justice and liope" (after the events of the luf miłe Crisis miiuseries), and in the 2006 film Superman Retnrns the phrase was recited by tlie character Peny White as "truth, justice, all tliat stuff." The "Up, Up and Away" comic book story arc firmly re-established the slogan as "truth, justice and the American way." (In the Christopher Reeve movies, the phrase is used semi-ironically.)

Magazine

American Way is the American Airlines magazine for Economy class passengers.

Films and TV series

The American Waj is the name of a mini-series bemg produced by Wildstorm tliat explores an America where super-beings exist, but are being used as propaganda by the American government.

Writers

Many American writers descnbe or reter to tlie American way. Examples in the 17th century, Tliomas Morton (c. 1576 — c. 1647), Roger Williams (1603 — 1683) and Annę Hutchinson (1591 - 1643).

In the 19th century, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), Herman Melville (1819-1891), Walt Whitman (1819-1892), MarkTwain (1835-1910).

In the 1900 (ack London (1876-1916), Theodore Dreiser (1871 1945), Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), Eugene 0'Neill (1888-1953), Clifford Odets (1906-1963), T. S.

2