def americanDateFormat(date):
  """Formats the specified datetime object as an American date (m/d/yyyy).

  Args:
      date: A datetime object.

  Returns:
      A string of the form m/d/yyyy that represents the specified date, e.g.
      5/2/2012, or 12/25/2008.
  """
  return '{d.month}/{d.day}/{d.year}'.format(d = date)