When we think of the quintessential American, we think of people who are competitive, innovative, brave, resilient, and talented — and sometimes crude, selfish, and prone to scandal.
To celebrate Independence Day 2013, we ranked the 50 most American U.S. citizens alive today.
For better or worse, these people embody what it means to be American.
Julie Zeveloff, Gus Lubin, and Jennifer Polland contributed to this list.
#50 Edward Snowden
#49 Sheryl Sandberg
#48 Lance Armstrong
#47 Gabby Giffords
#46 Chuck Norris
#45 Sarah Palin
#44 Kimye
#43 Soledad O'Brien
#42 Elon Musk
#41 Martha Stewart
#40 Ted Turner
#39 Ellen DeGeneres
#38 Bill O'Reilly
#37 Mindy Kaling
#36 Frank Gehry
#35 Michael Phelps
#34 Katie Couric
#33 Marco Rubio
#32 Betty White
#31 Donald Trump
#30 General James "Mad Dog" Mattis
#29 Sonia Sotomayor
#28 Ralph Lauren
#27 Gabby Douglas
#26 George Bush
#25 Taylor Swift
#24 Bob Dylan
#23 Warren Buffett
#22 Tiger Woods
#21 Clint Eastwood
#20 Beyoncé
#19 Hugh Hefner
#18 Edith Windsor
#17 Steven Spielberg
#16 Stephen Colbert
#15 Muhammad Ali
#14 Dolly Parton
#13 Bill Gates
#12 Serena Williams
#11 Brett Favre
#10 Buzz Aldrin
#9 Kate Upton
#8 Mark Zuckerberg
#7 Hillary Clinton
#6 Bruce Springsteen
#5 Bill Clinton
#4 Barack Obama
#3 Arnold Schwarzenegger
#2 Michael Jordan
#1 Oprah
And a look at our future:
The 25 Most Impressive Kids Graduating From High School This Year >
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