What it means to be an American has endured over time, in the image "The Declaration of Independence" what it means to be an American is that it shows us how much hard work, thought and dedication went into just making the event happen at the time. In the contemporary image it shows us how whenever someone sees a problem in their country that been America in this instants they try and do everything to fix the problem or at least attempt to try. It has changed over time by not much because there are people who still try and fix the problems that are seen in America.