Look around you, you will see your many peers. Most of them, you probably don’t know anything about. Now think about school. When I think of school I have a mixture of feelings, sometimes positive, sometimes negative. However, I realize that I am so fortunate to be in a position where I have an education, can do extracurriculars, and a ride to do it all. No matter your situation, you always have the ability to do something amazing with your life, and that’s because we live in America, a place of endless opportunities.

There are so many reasons why I am proud to be an American. When I look at America, I think of the home of the free, and the land of the brave. I know that there are men and women that fight for my rights and freedom; even though most of them don’t know me. I am so blessed to live in a place where I feel safe and protected by both our law enforcement and military. I am so fortunate to live in a place with good doctors, teachers, coaches, somewhere that I know I have the freedom to stand up for what I believe in, to be in a place where I can practice my religion in peace. 

So many people take it for granted, including myself at times, because most of us have lived in this country for our entire lives. My aunt once described this country as safe to my little cousin. My cousin was confused at first because she didn’t realize that some people around the world don’t have the same feeling of security as we do; they don’t get to go to bed knowing that they are defended by their military and first responders. I am proud to exclaim to the world that I am an American because I know that I live in a country where people care about one another. I know that there are good people in dark situations. I know that there are people that will support me, even if they don’t exactly agree with everything I believe.

I live in a land with hills and rivers that are filled with opportunity. I live on land that our brothers and sisters died to defend. I proudly say the Pledge of Allegiance because I know that there are soldiers that died to keep that flag flying in the wind. I stand because I live in a nation that is standing; a nation that is under God, with liberty and justice for all. I am proud to be called an American because there is no country I’d rather live in; this place is filled with hope, dreams, hard work, and courage. I will never give up on America because we are the land that will never fall no matter what is thrown at us. 

I’ve interviewed a couple of our peers with similar, but also differing beliefs from mine. Here are the results:

Jocelyn Laos affirms her feeling of shame of being an American by stating, “Although I live in America and it is my birthplace and home, I cannot bring myself to say that I am proud to be an American. Our country is built off of genocide of many indigenous cultures and individuals. Native Americans were slaughtered and majorly affected by disease and greed in the cultivation of our country. Along with this tragedy is the deep rooted racism that exists in the United States, and yes while many other countries have racial divides America incorporated that hateful agenda in its foundation. It’s also not like this racial divide has gone away in the present time either, so many awful hate crimes are committed on individuals just for the color of their skin or their natural characteristics. It is inhumane that this happens so commonly in our country and gets swept under the rug. With all this said I am not proud to be an American because how could I be proud to be apart of genocide, racial profiling, and extenuating amount(s) of enmity in our country?”

Olivia Ruffino expresses her opinion, saying, “It’s not necessarily that I’m ‘not proud’ to be an American, but we have a long way to go as a country before I could say I am proud. America continues to face extreme Homophobia, Racism, Ableism, and other things similarly, from ‘leaders’ in government positions. The way America came to be, through colonialism, is disgraceful. The history of our country comes from years of abuse and wrong doings. Though we are a democracy, the elections are complete misinformation. We face severe hate crimes and protests due to the police’s inadequacies. If we can’t trust the police, who can we trust? America has become a political divide, especially with subjects that aren’t necessarily politically related. As a female, I feel unsafe to walk alone or even with a group of friends, and if something were to happen, justice may not be served because our judicial system doesn’t always believe its victims. So no, I’m not proud to be an American—yet, but I am glad to be in a country that gives me opportunities to succeed.”

Hannah Campanile started out by exclaiming that she is proud of our founding fathers who fought for our independence from Great Britain. She adds, “We have had so many wise leaders in our country. Many of them have made a mark in history, or are on their way to. The only reason we are free and do as we want with our lives is because of the brave men and women who have fought and died for the freedom of the American citizens. I am proud of the amendments that came from our founding fathers that will forever protect our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Campanile is especially thankful for the right to bear arms because without our arms we wouldn’t be able to protect ourselves, or put food on the table for our families, for those of us who need the option to hunt. She also acknowledges the fact that she is proud of our country for many reasons, but is also ashamed of past decisions that were made, like slavery and people who have burned the American flag in means of protest. In further detail, she explained, “I can’t go back in time, and try to fix some of the mistakes our founding fathers made. Slavery was very wrong, but the past is the past and we can’t change that. However, we can change the future. I do not like to see people burning the American flag. Those people don’t understand how hard many men and women have fought for us to keep that flag. Yes, our country isn’t perfect, but I couldn’t have picked a better place to be born and raised in. I am proud to be an American and I always will be.”

We all have different opinions, there will always be someone that disagrees with you, but that’s the beauty of it all. We get to have opinions and speak them out because we live in a country where we have the freedom of speech. However, some people have strayed from that recently, which is truly sad. Just because you don’t agree with someone doesn’t mean you have the right to shame or discredit them. If everyone thought the same, there would be no breakthroughs or unique ideas. That brings me to the end, I encourage you all to stand up for what you believe in, but not just that, I also encourage you to have a reason for your beliefs. Don’t just join the bandwagon and hop onto whatever idea other people have. Find the facts, question the different beliefs, and make a decision for yourself. We have the right to choose what to believe in because we live in the amazing, beautiful, strong USA, a place where we are safe and protected, a place of endless opportunity, and a place of unique differences.