Imagine kids jumping into pools. The sounds of fireworks popping in the distance. The smell of burgers sizzling on the grill and the feeling of the hot July sun beaming on your shoulders. That is the scene of freedom on the best holiday of the year: the Fourth of July.

Our nation celebrated 239 years of independence this year. All over the country people were gathering in city parks to hear live bands and indulge in lots of hotdogs, popcorn, and cotton candy. People participated in parades and flew their American flags with pride. Fireworks exploded through the night sky, lighting up our nation with beautiful colors.

Here's four reasons why I'm proud to be an American.

1. "America was founded by people who believe that God was their rock of safety." - Ronald Reagan.

As a Christian, I am proud to be able to live in a nation that allows me to practice my religious beliefs without persecution. In matter of fact, anyone of any religion, ethnicity, or background can live in this nation and practice whatever they believe without having to do it in secret.

2. "The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission." - John F. Kennedy

I am proud to be an American because of all the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for this great nation. Americans have never been known to back down when freedom is put in to question. The people serving in our nation's military are some of the most noble people that I know, and if I could, I would want to personally thank each and every one of them for all that they do. They are the reason that we are able to sit at our dinner tables with our family and enjoy a nice meal on the Fourth of July. They are the reason for the desks that we sit at in school. They are the reason for all of the rights that we are so lucky to be blessed with.

3. "All the great things are simple and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope." - Winston Churchill

America can be summed up in these six words said by Winston Churchill. Freedom- A land that will sacrifice anything in order to remain free. Justice- A place where people do what is right, not just what is easy. Honor- A land where people respect one another and honor each and every individual no matter how different they may be from yourself. Duty- A nation of honorable individuals who stand up and protect this land and our freedoms as their American duty. Everyone does what they need to do. Mercy- A place where one can receive mercy instead of brutality, and forgiveness instead of hatred. Hope- A land of love, happiness, and hope for a better tomorrow.

4. "This is America...a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky." - George H.W. Bush

One of my favorite parts about living in America is the fact that you can just walk down any random street and meet people of so many different backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities. America is truly a melting pot of people from all over the world, and this is a truly beautiful and unique thing.

Take a minute to think back on your last Fourth of July. Think of all the great time with family and friends and all the memories you made. It makes you realize how lucky we truly are to have all of the freedoms that we have today. If it weren't for all of those men of the Second Continental Congress who sat in the sweltering heat of a boarded up building in Philadelphia, we would probably be on an extremely different path today. Sometimes we take the holiday for granted, relishing in the long weekend off of work, but we have to remember all that this country sacrificed and stood up for in order to become what it is today.

“May it be to the world, what I believe it will be ... the signal of arousing men to burst the chains ... and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form, which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.” - Thomas Jefferson.