What is America?

What is America?

America is place of freedom and life. It is a place where so many different people come together as one. Everyone always says that America is a “melting pot”, and it’s true. As far back as America has history we have been a nation of many different breeds of people. When the settlers first came here in the early 1600s we were a nation of Englishmen and Dutchmen, Irish and Swedes, Germans and Frenchmen. Over the centuries, our nation has become a home to many other nationalities as well. Italian and Greek, Asian and African, Hispanic and Russian alike have come to this country seeking something that has always been labeled as “the American Dream”. Now I am not entirely sure what exactly this “dream” entails, but I am pretty sure it has something to do with the freedom that our country has fought so long to keep. When this country started out a little over 400 years ago it was established as new colony of Britain. Over the years, people began fleeing to the new world from other countries, seeking freedom from things such as religious and political persecution. After a while though, even they became sick of the British rule that was being forced upon them (and that often stood against the very values that this country was founded upon). In the end, they fought long and hard to free themselves from England, and as we all know, they won. And so began a 400 year string of continuous fighting to keep America free.

As an American, I pride myself on being so, and though I have Italian, Irish, and German blood in me, I consider myself an American first and foremost. I think that this is one of the greatest things about living in this country; most people who are here are damn proud of it. So many people are ashamed of where they came from, but the people of America, we take pride in living here. We raise our kids to be proud of this country and where they came from. We fly flags outside of our houses, have them stuck to the back of our cars, and even tattooed on our bodies. The pride we have in our country is known not only among those people with whom we share this great land with, but also with those people from other countries.

American is a place of many things. We are a place of hope. Hope for a better life, hope for happiness and peace. It is a place of choices; a place of forgiveness and trust. We are a country of happy people, not necessarily because we have power and wealth, but also because of the family and friends we have, the simple, mundane job we may work at 9-5, the choices that we get to make on how we live our lives. America is a country that never stops moving, that never sleeps. We have worked hard for the things that we have, and continue to work hard for the things that we want. We take pride in our lives and how we live them. We are a country that is never above doing what makes us happy. We are a country full of people who are just trying to make it from day to day in one piece. America is a nation full of people willing to help others (though we do not do so as often as we should). We, as a nation, love our pieces of media. From the latest U2 song to the newest episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brien; from news stories about a teenager being reunited with her family after being gone for twenty years to books about wizards and vampires. We love our crime scene dramas and a comedy about a dysfunctional family with a talking baby, and a talking dog. We love our food! From Big Mac’s at one in the morning to a Peppermint Mocha Twist Frappucinno Blended Coffee before that big business meeting; slow, home cooked meals from a southern style restaurant with rocking chairs and checker boards lining the “front porch” to pizza that will be delivered in 30 minutes or less, or it’s free. We are a country where convenience means everything and if you can access it from your Blackberry or iPhone, well, that’s even better. We always have our lights on; from small towns to big cities, you are always welcome. Americans always want more! And we always want it now! Doesn’t matter if its money, sex, food, news, or sleep, we want it as fast as possible.

America is a country full of dreamers. We have dreams about everything: where we want to go to college, what we want to do with the rest of our lives, who we want to marry, how many kids we want. We start dreaming about these types of things as kids, and even then, we dream BIG. We dream for things that might never happen, but the joy of America is, no dream is ever too big. And we, as a nation, encourage our kids to dream, and dream BIG. As they grow into teenagers we tell them to keep dreaming, despite how far out of reach their destination may be. And as we grow into adults we tell ourselves, and our peers, that now it’s up to us to make the dreams come true. Our parents and teachers, friends and even enemies, have helped to get us this far, now it’s up to us to make it happen.

America is a country where anything can happen, and nothing is too far beyond your reach. Here we dream BIG and we dream small. We embrace our different nationalities, and as the differences of them all unite, we call ourselves Americans. In America we are free. Free to make choices, free to love what we want to love, and to be who we want to be. America is place full of things that are silly and weird, controversial and wrong, stressful and heartbreaking. We are a country that is proud of who we are; of where we have been and of where we are going. America, well America is full of people who love being Americans.