Being an American

What makes someone an American?

Do you have to be a citizen?

Do you have to be here with the approval of the Government?

Do we have some qualifying standard?

Do you have to say the pledge of allegiance or salute the flag or stand for the national anthem?

I think being an American has pretty much always meant trying to be free and trying to improve yourself.

Our defining characteristic is that we are a nation of immigrants who came here at some time for a better opportunity. (Even native Americans came here from Siberia).

This desire to have freedom and the right to succeed is in my opinion the heart of the American spirit that is the defining characteristic.

Being an American doesn't mean you have to always support the Government.  Going back to abolitionists, woman suffragettes, the civil rights movement, the fight for sexual equality, real Americans disagreed with the Government and demanded change.

This is because they love freedom.

We don't have cookie cutter Americans, we are all different and we all have the right to fight for what we believe in.

We can disagree with each other and we can fight for things that might be polar opposites, but as Americans we should respect each others right to fight for what they believe in.

Otherwise we dishonor all those who died defending that right.