Happy Fourth of July!

I'm very happy to have been born a citizen of the United States of America.  I have the right of free speech, the right to carry a firearm (if I should desire to do so), and the right to publicly meet with other like-minded people.  As far as I can tell, my earliest direct ancestor came from England in 1624 and joined in with the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts (that's on Dad's side of the family); the earliest person I've found on Mom's side of the family came to America as a bond servant and served six years working on a tobacco farm near St. Mary's, Maryland.  He gained his freedom in 1646, made a few bad choices, and ended up near what is now Oak Hall, Virginia on the Eastern Shore.  Supposedly, one of my father's ancestors took a Native American to wife back in the 1650's, when it was illegal to do so, in Virginia - there is still a continuing controversy about my 13-times- great-grandmother's bloodline.  The two latest immigrants in my family were my maternal great-great-grandfather and maternal grandfather. Andreas Pedersen, came from Denmark in 1852, trying to avoid war service between Denmark and Germany. (And ended up here for the American Civil War... and Anglicized his name to Andrew Peterson.)  My grandfather's parents came to New Jersey before his birth, so that Cap'n Walt would be both an American and Swedish citizen.  They returned to Sweden when Pop-pop was 3 weeks old; he returned to America when he was 20, to "really" become an American citizen.
My ancestors and relatives have served in most Wars and skirmishes that the British Colonies and the United States have been in since 1630.  A great many of the men in my father's family served in the United States Navy, even if they were farmers from the mid-West; in researching the family tree, it amazed me that that so many Nocks men served as sailors.  The Lancaster's (Dad's maternal line) served mostly in militias and the Army.  On Mom's side, everyone lived on the Eastern Shore, and served in the Navy or Coast Guard.
It all boils down to the fact that I am proud and happy to be a citizen of the United States!