Emma Dean

Tamera Davis

Honors Composition II

4 January 2021

My America

The first way to express the love that I have for my country is by quoting John Thune and

his view of America. It states, “I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a

universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom. It is the history of our nation,

and it's marked by the blood of those who died defending it.” I am proud to be an American

because of the freedoms that I have. There are a couple freedoms that I am particularly grateful

for which include, Freedom of speech and Freedom of Religion. 

Freedom of speech is especially important to me because it gives me the ability to have

my own opinions and thoughts without being condemned for them. There have been many points

in my life where the freedom to express myself felt very good. For instance, when involving

myself in topics about politics, religion and while having discussion in school. I have especially

found myself grateful for freedom of speech in college. I have found that the majority of my

professors do not believe in the same things that I do. Something that I often have to remind

myself is that not everyone is going to agree with me. An article states this, “The right not to be

criticized or the right not to be offended does not exist in a moral society. You have the right to

say what you want, but other people have the right to dislike and criticize what you say.” I am

constantly having to adjust to their viewpoints even if I highly disagree. Ultimately, they have

the right to their opinion because of freedom of speech. For this law I am very grateful. I will
continue to use my freedom of speech even when times like now occur. A time of chaos and

discomfort. I find peace in my right to freedom of speech, and I will never take advantage of it. 

Freedom of Religion is most important to me overall. I have been a Christian for most of

my life. As a Christian, I have a calling to make Disciples of all nations. If I did not have the

opportunity to express my faith, then I would not be able to fulfill my calling. Being a Christian

American during this time period is hard. I often find myself struggling to stand up for my faith

or share my faith with others because it seems to get shut down very easily. There is a negative

connotation of Christians and although some of them are true, I can proudly say that I steer clear

of them as much as I can. Afterall, I am still a human being that makes mistakes and sins just as

much as the next person. But overall, I try to be the best I can as a Christian. If it weren't for

Freedom of Religion, I would not be able to express my full self and ultimately the best part

about me, and that is Jesus Christ. My faith is something that I will have until the day that I die,

therefore it is important that I am able to express it. To be an American means that I have the

right to have freedom of Religion and for that, I am forever grateful. 

In conclusion, I am proud to be an American for many reasons, but there are two specific

reasons why I am proud in which they allow me to express who I am and what my purpose is in

life. Freedom of Speech allows me to express how I feel about anything in life including politics,

Religion, school and etc. All of those things affect my everyday life and I have very strong

opinions about all of them. I often find myself being challenged in my viewpoints, which is why

I am so thankful for my freedom. Freedom of Religion is very important to me as I am a

Christian and I will be until the day that I die. Without freedom of Religion I would be struggling

a lot in life and would stumble much more than I do today. I also find myself being challenged in

today's society being a Christian and it is very hard for me. I am so thankful for the freedom that
I have in this area. Overall, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion explain what it means

for me to be an American. I am very proud to be an American and I am grateful for the freedom

that I have. I will always be proud to be an American. 

Works Cited 

"These Patriotic Quotes Will Make You Proud To Be American." Web. 02 Feb. 2021.

I used this article to help me express how I feel about my country. There were multiple

examples and heartfelt answers that caught my eye, but I only used one. I appreciate all of

the quotes that this article provided for me. Overall, it helped me to express how I feel and

I was able to give a good example. 

“Individual Rights: Only in America.” Challenger School,

www.challengerschool.com/newsroom/individual-rights-only-america. 

This source helped me to focus mainly on Freedom of Speech. It did a good job of

outlining what Freedom of Speech really is and how it can be difficult sometimes. This

allowed me to use it as an example for when I have struggled in the past when

expressing myself in this way. I liked this source because it helped me to have a

different perspective. Overall, this source helped me to write my essay in many ways.