United States of America
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Flags courtesy of ITA's Flags of All Countries used with permission.
I am a citizen of the United States, though I haven't voted much since I was in the military. There have always been certain assumptions about the world and my place in it that were so prevalent in my every-day activities that I didn't notice they were missing until recently. Growing up in the US fosters a feeling of security that has been noticeably absent when I travel. I was in Italy when I realized that the rights that I took for granted as an American citizen can only be afforded to me elsewhere as local laws and that country's agreement with the US allowed. It has taken me a quarter of a century to realize what my government and social science teachers were trying to tell me about: it is truly a privelege to live in the United States of America.
Fun Facts
The phrase "united States of America" was first used officially in the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776). On November 15, 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first of which stated "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America.'" The name was originally proposed by Thomas Paine.