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North Carolina State Winner

Kristen Brown
Hurdle Mills, NC
Brown's Heritage Christian Academy
Home School
12th Grade

When I first heard about this essay contest and its topic, a thousand things ran through my mind on what I could write about. I don't believe that I could ever fully express in words what it means to me to be an American. I have just finished taking a course in United States history which covered all the way up to the Civil War. This course has given me even more appreciation for the country in which I live and no matter what other people say I will forever be proud of my country.

To me being an American means that when I wake up in the morning I will face the problem of deciding what I want for breakfast rather than worrying if I will get to eat anything for breakfast. America has truly been blessed over the years and has not allowed things like the Great Depression or damaging hurricanes to bring her down economically; she has always recovered. Our nation has faced some difficult times since its founding in the 1700s but has not given up once. I am proud of my founding fathers and for the stands that they took to keep this country going. Patriots like Patrick Henry helped arouse people to fight for our Independence in 1776. Unionists like Abraham Lincoln brought the country back together in spite of its (North and South) differences, and preserved the Union.

I am so proud to be an American when I see a wounded soldier or a soldier crying, I cry. I become overwhelmed with emotion and appreciation towards them. It is hard for me to understand why a soldier would willingly give up his life for me, whom he has never met, just so that I can enjoy the liberties and freedoms in America. When I see the American Flag hanging and whipping through the breeze a feeling of pride runs through me that I cannot explain. America is full of opportunities and choices. As an American I have the right and the freedom to attend the college and obtain the career of my choice. I am also given the privilege to vote for whom I want, and express how I feel about certain issues without the fear of being put in prison or killed.

Many things have happened over the past several months in the political realm that to me seem to be a step in the wrong direction from what our founding fathers originally intended. It hurts me to see my nation attacked and talked bad about. There are some Americans today who just don't appreciate the freedoms that they have. Sometimes I get so mad that my reaction is to just leave the country and never come back. However, deep down inside I know that I could never leave my country and that there is no other place in the world that could compare to America. My duty as an American is to stand by my country during the good and the bad times. Running away from problems will not solve anything. Running away from the enemy will not win the war. I have to face these problems, and with God's help I will prevail. This is how I feel about America, and this is what it means to me to be an American.