What has made America, America?

Question

within the small span of 300 nations it has been the most productive nation in the history of man. what is the best explanation for this.

is it the legal system, which while quite irritating at times (i.e., receiving a ticket) ensures domestic tranquility?

or is it the abundance of natural resources?

or the strength and endeavors of ppl who come here for an opportunity to succeed?

i would really like a proper explanation for this since there are a plethora of other nations that have existed far longer than America and yet are still "behind"

Answer 1

Freedom

Answer 2

Three fundamentals:

1. Separation between church and state (though this is currently under attack by right-wing Christian fundamentalists and their Republican buddies);

2. Internationalism: Despite the fact that the US has done some harm in the world (Iraq, for instance, or Vietnam, or the banana republics of central and south America just to name a few), no country has done more to support the concept of human rights, and no country has done more to help those in need;

3. Natural resources.

Now, one has to be careful about how you define "behind," because what you may think of as "behind" may in fact be "ahead."

For instance, repeated studies and polls have shown that those in Europe feel they have a higher quality of life than Americans. That may be due to the fact that they get many, many more holidays to spend with family and friends, or it may be due to other factors; I don't really know.

So you might want to be a little more careful in defining your terms first.

Answer 3

it's probably brainwashing of citizens. you are made to believe America is perfect, yet from outside it looks like a beautifully ripe fruit, but with a rotten content.

PLUS - you NEVER judge cultures like this! ahead/behind...they are different. what may seem to you as extraordinarily evolved in your culture, others may regard as unimportant. it depends on too many factors, on the system of values and on the point of view. from American standards and values viewpoint, America is the most evolved. isn't that a coincidence?

Answer 4

The first thing that came to MY mind when i saw this question was the ECONOMY. The American economy is filled with businesses owned by IMMIGRANTS.

So i can say its immigrants that have made America. America

http://www.letitbe.org/Immigration.html