America: the land of the free and the home of the brave. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we decided to take some time to think about what it is that makes our nation so great. Here are just a few reasons why we’re thankful to be a part of the great US of A.
1. First off, there are America’s gorgeous coastlines. Cape Cod, the Outer Banks, Florida’s Gulf Coast, Washington’s Olympic Peninsula… we have some of the best around.
2. There’s also America’s richness of speech and variation in accents, which vary from region to region and state to state.
3. As a “melting pot” nation, we have an abundance of diversity…
4. …which means we also have a diverse selection of cuisine to choose from.
5. America has also made its own excellent contributions to the culinary world, like fried chicken, cheeseburgers, jambalaya, clam chowder, North Carolina barbecue, New York pizza, Philly cheesesteaks, Chicago hot dogs, Tabasco, gumbo, peanut butter, grits and Wisconsin cheese curds.
6. And you can’t forget all the inventive food hybrids we’ve created.
7. We encourage people to eat their fill…
8. …and we even have events centered around competitively consuming food.
9. We have some incredible indigenous American music: jazz, country, rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, hip-hop, folk, pop, gospel, bluegrass, zydeco and the blues.
10. Instead of just one national sport, like most nations have, we’re lucky enough to have four…
11. …as well as some of the best stadiums and arenas for experiencing games.
12. We have some of the best colleges and universities in the world,
13. and we were the first to establish free public education.
14. We’re the birthplace of The Great American Novel,
15. Hollywood,
16. and the American Dream.
17. America is all about convenience, offering 24-hour everything: banking, doughnut shops, mass transit, TV news, grocery stores, wedding chapels, you name it.
18. And you’ve got to love America’s drive-thrus…
19. …and 1-click buying.
20. We were the first country to organize a LGBT Pride march,
21. and we are the home to the Civil Rights Movement.
22. We are also home to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade…
23. …as well as the annual presidential turkey pardon.
24. We contributed groundbreaking inventions to the world, such as the typewriter,
25. the skyscraper,
26. and the transcontinental railroad.
27. We also introduced to the world such vital things as froyo,
28. YOLO,
29. and selfie-taking. Thanks, Robert Cornelius!
Thanks to you, too, Miley.
30. Americans were the first to tailgate,
31. and the first to celebrate happy hour.
32. We have a right to free speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution…
33. …and we know that, as long as we’re Americans, we have the freedom to become anything we want to be.