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The Fourth of July is a celebration of America's freedom. What better way to celebrate the day than to admire some of the ways the country has liberated itself in the past few years?

Sure, America is not perfect — no nation is. But on Independence Day, it's okay to focus on some of the positives. From same-sex marriage to marijuana legalization to war, it's pretty clear that America is getting freer in some areas — even if it still has a lot of work to do on some issues.

1) Same-sex marriage is now legal in all 50 states

2) Marijuana is now legal in four states and Washington, DC

3) The prison population is dropping

4) People with preexisting conditions now have full access health insurance

5) There's no draft — probably because there's much less war