What It Means to Be American

Today in AP US History, I was just thinking about how privileged we all are to be Americans. We like in a country that has exceptional opportunities for everyone. A country where we are guaranteed saftey, freedom, and natural rights. We truly are fortunate to live in such a country, because many others do not have these same liberties. America is a country that has progressed so much in the past. America, our country, is considered one of the strongest nations in the world. American citizens are very lucky because they have many rights and privileges that other people do not. Some of our rights include freedom of speech, privilege to an education, right to vote, and trial by jury. We sometimes forget these rights we have and take them for granted. I believe that as an American citizen we all have duties, rights and privileges that we need to remember everyday.
Some of the privileges we have as citizens are stated in the Bill Of Rights. The Bill of Rights is a document with amendments that we must follow. Some things stated in this document are, freedom of religion, right to bear arms, and freedom of the press. We do not realize it but we use these rights every day of our lives. We have the freedom of speech to criticize people and give our honest opinions. We have freedom of the press to write and publish whatever we want. When we are in a state of war we have the right to use weapons to protect our families from danger. These privileges should be very valuable to American citizens because people in other countries don’t have these same rights. They do not have freedom to say what they want and do what they want.
Although it is not very easy for these immigrants to become citizens, they try very hard to learn all they can about America so that they can be a part of our country. If you are over the age of eighteen you have to send in an “n-400” application. Officials will either approve or deny your request to become a citizen. Citizenship not only applies to immigrants but also to my own life. I use my rights everyday. I use the freedom of speech to voice my opinions and I use the freedom of the press to write my opinions. Being a citizen is a huge part of my life because I follow the laws, and duties of being a citizen everyday. Citizenship is so important to everyone in America. It gives us many rewarding privileges and rights. We take citizenship for granted but without it we would have no freedom. We should be proud to be citizens of such a magnificent country.