Hey I've been writing an essay for about 3 weeks now for AP American. It is about how the idea of the rugged individual is a key aspect of American culture, both past and present. If you don't know Rugged Individualism is the idea of the lone man, resisting authority with his six-shooter. So far I’ve used:

-American Revolution history (We rebelled because we didn't want to pay taxes, so we resisted British Authority)

-Herbert Hoover's "Rugged Individual speech"

-The writings of Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Samuel Adams

-Popular culture ideas (The Matrix, Top Gun, Rocky, Scare face (old and new versions), and a few miscellaneous John Wayne movies)

-TV shows (24)

So I was wondering if any of you could think of any other topics that represent the idea of Rugged Individualism in American culture. It also doesn’t have to be history, like the movies I've used.