What does it mean to be an American?

by: Jenny

So many people have different ideas about what it means to be an American. The stereotypical American is someone who loves baseball, apple pies and hot dogs... or something like that.

I have also heard that an American is someone who loves the above-mentioned baseball, hot dogs and apple pies... plus the New York Yankees, peanuts, and Coca-Cola.

Rodney Atkins' new song, "It's America" shares his views on what it means to be in America:

It's a high school prom

It's a Springstein song

It's a ride in a Chevrolet

It's a man on the moon

And fireflies in June

Kids sellin' lemonade

It's cities and farms

And open arms

One nation under god

It's America

I actually have to agree. To me, America is about the memories that I have had growing up. It is my sisters and I setting up that lemonade stand in our driveway and selling about three cups (two of which were to my parents). It is staying outside playing Red Light, Green Light until my mom called us inside because it was time to go to bed. It is spending summers at my lake house and watching the fireworks explode over the water and hearing the "surround sound" of the noise being carried through the neighboring mountains and valleys. America is about running through the grass and lying on our backs counting the millions of stars, and wishing on the shooting ones. It is about being spontaneous. It's about lying in the street; going to carnivals and state fairs. America is learning how to ride a horse or drive a stick-shift for the first time. It's about happiness. It's about bliss. It's about falling in love and making memories.

America to me is home. I know there are things going on in this country that I strongly disagree with. But America is the only thing I know, and maybe that makes me ignorant of problems we face domestically... or maybe not. This is home, and I am proud to live here and be a part of this nation.

Now I turn the question to you... what do you think it means to be an American?