It’s a question we ask ourselves often at Our America—not just as a political exercise, but as a personal one. Because how we answer that question defines not only the country we want to live in, but also the shining light we strive towards.
Some people believe America is materialistic. Some people, like myself, claim the American dream defines it – the idea that anyone can come to this country and choose their own path and destiny. Yet some define America by ancestry—by how long their family has been here, how deep their roots run, or how many generations ago someone signed a document or fought in a war.
I can only trace my lineage a few generations to the 1800s, so whenever I meet someone who’s descended from Revolutionary War soldiers—or like a friend of mine, from a Mayflower passenger—I think that’s pretty fascinating. Yet at the end of the day, the America I know, and the one our Founders imagined, goes beyond bloodlines.
America was founded in direct opposition to the idea of inherited status, and Thomas Paine didn’t mince words. In Common Sense, he called hereditary privilege a “paltry rascally original,”(Worthless, dishonest scoundrel in modern English) mocking the idea that a person’s children—and their children’s children—should rule simply because of their blood. That kind of thinking belonged to kings and empires. It was everything America was created to reject.
The promise of America has always been something better: that no matter where you come from, if you believe in liberty, if you work hard, and if you commit yourself to this country and its ideals, then you are American. No footnotes. No asterisks. This is the foundation of the American dream and a purpose that Our America fights everyday to champion.
As a naturalized citizen, I don’t take that lightly. I chose America. I studied our history, memorized our Constitution, and raised my hand to take the Oath of Allegiance. That decision wasn’t just about me—it was about my family and especially my son. When I look at him, I see a child whose future is rooted in the same principles as every other American: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
At Our America, we fight every day to keep the American Dream alive—not just as an idea, but as a reality. We believe that freedom means more than the absence of tyranny; it means the presence of opportunity. That’s why we work to tear down the barriers that block people from pursuing a better life—whether those barriers come from government overreach, broken institutions, or rigid ideas about who “belongs.”
We believe in earned dignity. In personal responsibility. In the idea that your future should be determined by your choices, not your background. That’s the promise we stand for—whether your ancestors crossed the Atlantic, the Rio Grande, or you took the Oath of Allegiance yourself.
Because what makes someone American isn’t a birth certificate or a family tree. It’s a belief in freedom—and the willingness to fight for it.
That’s what America is. And that’s the America we’re working to build.
