What does Being an American mean?

0:04 [Music] what do I love about being an American it’s hard to it’s it’s hard to capture in one phrase or word but without a doubt I think it’s the promise that there is liberty for me and for my children [Music]

0:39 there is unlimited sense of possibility there is no restraint in terms of my ability to speak out or to write I think I really love the idea that a kid who grows up in poverty like me doesn’t have to buy into the idea that you can’t make it or this

0:59 is not your country when I hear the word American what comes to my mind is freedom and opportunity those are the two things that come to my mind when I think of a great American if I had to describe a great American to my kids I’d actually describe a guy that we

1:19 passed in traffic believe it or not a couple of months ago we were riding down the freeway we saw a guy several cars in front of us pull over to a woman and her children stranded on the side of the road we also pulled over to see if we could help by the time we got to this car this man was already changing This Woman’s tire that is a great American being a member of the national

1:40 Symphony Orchestra and being an American um it’s been a great privilege um when the orchestra every year uh we usually go um to another country every concert we play there um we usually begin with the star spangle banner and then we do the national anthem of the other country and uh it still sends chills through me our country has just offered us so many

2:01 blessings and so many freedoms I think the Constitution is absolutely essential to this process the constitution of course gives us our essential governmental structures but it’s those governmental structures that have enabled our country to grow and prosper in the ways that it has I think

2:22 one of the most important things that the constitution does is it clearly delineates where government must must stop and that I think has been key to the growth the prosperity the inventiveness that we have seen uh in this country over the course of our

2:43 history what’s most valuable to be has to go back to the freedoms that we are given our founding fathers have been incredible I mean their genius their ability to uh come up with the Visionary um thoughts about what makes America work what I most love about being an American and this country is the ideas upon which

3:05 it was founded the ideas of equality the ideas of human Liberty and responsibility that our law is grounded in something higher than politics I’m a free individual uh able to express the thoughts of my conscience and my heart and able to gather with my fellow

3:27 Americans uh at times to even express our opposition to what the government is doing this is something that is such a gift uh to me as an American I think it’s extraordinary I think that also being an American also comes with a

3:47 responsibility which means that you have to or I as an American have to help others uh not only nationally but like if possible globally and let me add this I believe that it’s the duty of every American to serve his or her country in some way there are many many many ways people

4:09 can serve their country here’s why it’s important not so much because our country needs it because we have a very viable free enterprise system but people who have served their country take a much deeper sense of responsibility for their country than if they’ve been on sitting back on the receipt leaving

4:36 in but there’s something else that I think is also essential for for us as Americans even when we are at peace and which is Our obligation and maybe that’s a little strong but I feel it in my heart an obligation to speak and to act in such a way as to keep America the land of the

4:56 free and Home of the Brave to to maintain our Liberty [Music]