248 years ago, a small group of colonists made the decision to break free and put an end to the tyranny imposed on them by the British monarchy. Several years later, after a long war, the colonists were victorious, and a nation was born— a nation founded on liberty and justice for all.

Less than 100 years later, a couple families immigrated here from Germany, a few from Ireland, and a couple from France, as well as Norway and Switzerland. They all came to America for a better life for themselves and their children. Their children started their own American families, and their children started their own families, and so on until they made me.

Starting over in America wasn’t so easy for them, especially at the turn of the century when folks weren’t too welcoming towards immigrants, especially Irish immigrants like some of my ancestors. They didn’t have too much money, and some of them didn’t understand English too well. But they rose above those challenges and they were able to live the American dream that so many immigrants come here with. They were able to make a living for themselves and provide for their families.

Everyone who knows me well knows there’s nothing I love more than American history. I’ve been a history buff ever since grade school when I began to learn about America and how our country came to be. And my parents took every opportunity to educate me and my brother on the American government. Pretty much everywhere we went to on vacation had something to do with American history. For many kids my age, a fun vacation was to Disney World, but for me, it was maybe a trip to Baltimore to visit Fort McHenry where the Star Spangled Banner was written, or perhaps to DC to visit the famous landmarks (and even tour the house and senate chambers—-what an experience that was!).

However, the one thing I’ve always admired about this country is our freedom; our right to express ourselves freely, our right to vote and elect our leaders, and the right to be critical of said leaders, among many others. For some, some of these freedoms took a little longer to achieve. I think the only way to see how far we’ve progressed is to look at other countries around the world that don’t have the same freedoms as us. There are certain countries in the world where women don’t have as many rights as they do here. The US is one of only 36 countries in the world where same-sex marriage is legal. There are some countries where it’s illegal to criticize the government. I feel like in a lot of ways, America is still ahead of the game.

As many are aware, I never make it a point to openly discuss my political views, mostly because I see the internet as my escape from what’s going on in the world. But to be quite honest, I can’t help but feel that America is starting to feel less and less like America every day. Recent events over the past few years have opened my eyes to the fact that our rights and freedoms that we’ve been taught to never take for granted are starting to come under attack. Our justice system is messed up. Many Americans are struggling just to pay their mortgage and put food on the table. This isn’t the America I remember growing up in. Perhaps things were just different growing up. I was born in New York just before 9/11, so growing up, everyone I knew was as patriotic as one could be. And patriotism had a totally different meaning. Americans weren’t divided by political ideologies. Americans weren’t white or black. Americans were just Americans who came to the table and found common ground. Things just aren’t the same anymore.

All of this to say, I’ve never given up on America. And I never will. Not when my ancestors left everything and everyone they knew behind in their homeland to come here so their descendants like me could have a better life. Not when so many brave young men and women gave their lives defending our country. Are we a perfect country? No, not by any stretch. But, I’ll still forever be grateful to this country for giving me the opportunity to live my best life.

Happy birthday, America. And a happy Fourth of July to all my fellow Americans.