The 50 Most American Photos Ever for Memorial Day

We’re heading into another Memorial Day Weekend here in the USA–which, of course, is the official start of Summer. That means it’s time for big movies at the multiplexes, and big rock festivals, and big weekends spent at the beach, and big slabs of meat being cooked up on barbecues. It’s a great time to live in America. Or, if you prefer, it’s a great time to live in ‘Merica, or even ‘Murica!

Yeah, we know there are some snide types who say “‘Merica” while complaining about how there are Walmarts taking up a few acres that should be hosting an artisanal cheese shop and a charging station for electrical cars. Some of us, however, believe in the beauty of Big Patriotism. We know people get worried about jingoism and national pride, but what’s not to love about a country where we fight for the right to celebrate our liberty with guns, tobacco, and alcohol? America is a country so grand that we’ve invented foods and drinks that are so unhealthy that politicians actually try to ban them.

And we know that’s one of the reasons that so many Americans spend their summers meeting foreign tourists who need to see the sights of ‘Merica. Most of those foreigners go home talking about how friendly Americans are, and that’s part of ‘Merica, too. So let’s get going for Memorial Day Weekend with a look at the best kind of American excess–which is Americans celebrating being Americans, and fashion (or common sense) be damned….