Saturday marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

I’m lucky enough to have been alive and aware (somewhat, at least) of what was going on for the 200th anniversary in 1976.

Even though I was quite young, I have distinct memories of how it captured America’s attention and felt like a true celebratory moment.

This summer, I’ll be taking my young children (13, 10, and 5 years old) on trips to Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

I want them to learn more about our country and what makes it so special.

We may live in a time of great disagreement. But heading into America’s 250th anniversary, I’ve been feeling some of the same things I felt back when I was a kid.

And I sense that same pride welling up among many other people, too.

Earlier this week, we sent out a survey to all of our readers asking them what makes them most proud to be an American.

The response to the survey was incredible. At last count, I saw 6,019 submissions.

Across the thousands of responses, most of them said freedom and opportunity. Others mentioned faith or military service.

We also got plenty of personal stories that truly speak to what makes America such a special place.

Today, I want to share my story as an American and what makes me proud of our country.

My Experience of the American Dream

Longtime readers know I have a very American story.

My grandfather's family, a combination of Pueblo Indian and Spanish, has been in this country since the late 17th century.

The Pueblo have lived in the region for about 7,000 years, and the Spanish date back to 1692 in New Mexico.

My grandmother's family were Scottish and German immigrants from the Midwest and the West. This family struggled with poverty and a long history of substance abuse.

My father had six brothers, two of whom died before they turned 35, and several who spent much of their lives in prison.

My mother's family was from Uruguay, immigrants from the Basque Country and Brazil, and was much better off.

My grandfather was the CEO of the country's utility company and one of the founders of the most prominent liberal political party in the 1970s.

Unfortunately, his timing was bad as a military dictatorship took over the country. My uncle was jailed for seven years as a "terrorist," and my family's house was regularly strafed with machine-gun fire by the "milicos."

My mother got stuck here in the early 1970s. She would have been jailed if she had returned to her home country.

Instead, she met my father at a hair salon (he was a successful hairdresser), and they got married to keep her here.

We had it very rough as my father's legacy trauma continued to haunt us and led to a volatile life, including living in dozens of places, going bankrupt multiple times, and briefly experiencing homelessness.

My first blessing, however, was my mother. She was an absolute rock and fought hard to get the two of us out of our terrible situation.

My second blessing was being born in America.

Back in Uruguay, my mother would have been imprisoned and probably would have died. Not to mention, the health care she received here also saved her life many times. She wouldn’t have gotten that kind of care back home.

Despite the volatile environment my father created, America allowed my mother to have a career, allowed me to get an excellent education, and allowed us to pull ourselves out of poverty and violence.

A lot of people talk about how life is better in other countries. And I'm not saying the U.S. is the only great country in the world.

But I don't think there's another place where we would have had the opportunity for my mother to survive and thrive, and for me — a poor Hispanic kid from Phoenix — to go on to become a successful Wall Street investor for more than two decades.

And while we could debate whether the U.S. is the best place on Earth, there's no debating that it's the best place to invest.

America Is Still the Place to Be

I went back and compared the S&P 500, the benchmark U.S. index, to other major stock indexes worldwide using Bloomberg's data.

I used the STOXX Euro 600 Index as a proxy for Europe, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index for emerging markets, the Nikkei 225 for Japan, and the Hang Seng Index for China and Hong Kong.

Here’s how the S&P 500 performed against each.

The S&P 500 vs. The STOXX Euro 600 Index

Going back 35 years, U.S. stocks have more than quadrupled the performance of European stocks.

The S&P 500 vs. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index

Across the same period, they've also outperformed emerging markets more than fourfold.

The S&P 500 vs. The Nikkei 225

The same is true of the S&P’s performance compared to Japanese stocks going back to 1990.

The S&P 500 vs. The Hang Seng Index

The Hang Seng Index is not the best measure for China. But the S&P 500 has outperformed it by more than three times.

The data sends a clear message.

Over a long stretch of time, U.S. stocks have been the best place for long-term investors.

So as we head into Independence Day, I want to remind you that the U.S. remains a great place to live and invest.

I hope you enjoy the long holiday weekend.