The summer is home to several patriotic holidays, Memorial Day (which was several weeks ago), and the Fourth of July. It can be easy to forget that these days serve as more than allotted occasions to BBQ with friends, spend a day at the shore, and light some fireworks. Instead, these days provide the opportunity to show our appreciation for those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom, and to honor our nation’s independence. With the Fourth of July nearly here, I am again reminded of why I am proud to be American.

Yes, I am proud to be American.

Recently, I’ve noticed that it has become trendy to “hate on” America, for people to declare how much they dislike the United States. But why all the hate? Hating America isn’t trendy, and it isn’t cool. One of the most wonderful aspects of being a citizen of this nation is that you are allowed to have an opinion – the right is actually protected in the Bill of Rights as the freedom of speech – so you don’t have to agree with every policy passed, with every speech the president (past or present) makes or has made. That is what makes this country so unlike any other; you are guaranteed the right to your own opinion.

A good citizen, in my opinion, is not one that always agrees with everything that transpires within the country, nor one that supports every law passed, but one that believes strongly in those freedoms protected in our Bill of Rights…a citizen that wants to help, in their own way, make America the best nation it could possibly be. There’s so much division within our nation nowadays, and so much of it is entirely unnecessary. What political party you are part of is of no consequence. In America, you can be a Republican or Democrat or Libertarian etc. and believe in what you want to believe in. We are, at our core, “one nation, under God,” so who cares what political party you belong to? We are more similar than you’d think, all united by the fact that we have the right to “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

America was a nation founded upon the morals of “liberty and justice for all.” Those very words are found right in our Pledge of Allegiance. What morals are more humbling than those?

It is entirely possible to love America and acknowledge that it is not perfect. It wasn’t in the past, and it isn’t now. But it is a great country, home to great, hardworking people, all backed by our incredibly brave soldiers who fought and continue to fight tirelessly to secure our freedom.

So thank you, America. Faults and all, I am incredibly proud to call you home.