I'm proud to be an American because I've lived without freedom

It's easier to appreciate pride that comes with being American when you grow up in a place like the Soviet Union where you didn't have any of these freedoms.

Karol Markowicz is a columnist at the New York Post. She has also written for Time, USA Today, The Observer, Heat Street, Federalist, Daily Beast and elsewhere. Follow her on Twitter @Karol.

The late ‘70s were not America’s glory days. Inflation was high, crime was everywhere, there was an energy crisis. But more than any of that, there was a crisis of identity and the pervasive idea that America was not that great and not worth saving. There’s a reason Ronald Reagan was such a popular president, winning 49 states in his re-election bid: he reflected America’s greatness, and he did not for one moment allow Americans to forget how lucky they were.