Today, America has built a reputation for itself, earning titles such as “The Land of Opportunity,” “The Crucible,” “Home of the Brave,” and “The Land of Freedom". Indeed, our proud nation has been praised by many nations for its precedent-setting nature since the original Thirteen Colonies seceded from England. What does it really mean to be American? Is it so you can freely express your opinion, no matter what? Or be able to practice one's beliefs and religion without persecution? Being American means being able to express yourself as an individual. However, this feature has become rare since the advent of peer pressure and social media, where trending topics and styles break into everyone's lives. In the pursuit of individuality, Americans have unconsciously become a collective. Americans are proud of their differences, whether it be in the color of their skin, the shape of their eyes, the length of their hair, the religion they practice, their native culture. language they speak or the nationality of their family. These variations are what make Americans American and are deeply rooted in the history of our young nation. The Pilgrims, zealous Puritan members of the Separatist Church, left England for the New World in 1620 to discover a land where they could freely practice their faith without fear of persecution. In 1776, the Thirteen Colonies wrote the Declaration of Independence to free themselves from the unjust rule of the English monarchy. Our nation's founding fathers believed they had to cut ties due to the unjust and controlling nature of the British government and that the colonists no longer acquiesced in British rule, setting a clear precedent for the American rebels. of paper...different and finding one's niche in the giant watch box we live in. The only way to survive in this world where a college degree and good finances matter the most is to acquire them by demonstrating your unique skills and talents. However, as the majority of the nation's population strives to rise above mediocrity and become exceptional, the standards to which people are held also rise. In this way, America has become a land where its inhabitants are defined not by a collective of wooden, unconditional and obedient soldiers, but by a collective of individuals capable of intelligent thought and curiosity. Living to the beat of their own drums and their own hearts, they follow the mantra exclaimed by Equality 7-2521: "Many words have been granted to me, and some are wise, and some are false, but only three are holy: 'I will'" . !'” (Rand 94).