Happy July 4th: Why is the United States the greatest country in the world?

· Philosophy, Politics, Religion

Why is the United States the greatest country in the world? There are many reasons. It is the country that was founded by citizens who loved freedom. They resisted the colonial power of England and fought to create a country of their own where class meant something you exhibited at parties. They believed, as did their French revolutionary counterparts, that all people were born equal and that even if there were no equality of condition, there should at least be equality of opportunity. Of course, there are a lot of differences between the American and French revolutions. The French revolutionaries proved themselves to be just as corrupt, if not more so, as the aristocracy they destroyed. But the similarity between the two revolutions, which both took place in the late 18th century, were that both at least in theory celebrated the ideas of brotherhood, community, freedom and justice. America realised the dream, but France realised the nightmare, at least temporarily.

 

Americans believed that people should advance in society through the merit of their efforts, rather than into who their parents were or what titles they held. There were still problems with the America that was born in the 18th century, because the idea of equality did not first include women and minorities, for example. However, the foundation was there and it was built on for years until the Constitution became more inclusive.

 

Another great thing about the United States is that it is a country that was born out of a love of God. The Founding Fathers were God-fearing men who were not perfect, but were men of deep faith for the most part. Although the lovers of secularism in contemporary American society like to downplay the religious origins of the country, they exist. In God they trusted, and although the country is moving further and further away from those origins, the memory is still alive in the minds of those for whom God is still important and an anchor. The United States is still great, but it needs to go back to its origins if it wants to be as successful on the world stage as it has been in the past.

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