What Makes America Special?

Katya Pledger
Jul 2, 2018 · 3 min read

America has always been different: it was a new world, filled with new adventures and new opportunities. While settlers from all over came for various reasons, they all shared a similar desire — that for a better life. And, many did achieve better in the United States of America. So, what makes America so unique? E. Pluribus Unum, In God We Trust, and Liberty combine together to form the American trinity, which is what makes America so special.

E. Pluribus Unum is Latin for “From Many, One.” People from all over the globe have travelled and settled in America. First the Spanish in the 15th century, followed by the Portuguese, the French, and the English. Then came slaves from Africa. Later on, Italians, Chinese, Mexicans. Despite the different cultures, ethnicities, and languages, every group has successfully integrated into the United States, adopting American values while also holding onto their own traditions. No matter where American citizens trace their roots, they know that the United States will always be their home, filled with bountiful opportunity to rise above the challenges and succeed. While certain ethnic groups faced discrimination at certain points in America’s history, these minorities rose above that discrimination to achieve much and give their children a better life. Together, these various groups of people integrated into the United States, living and working together to make their country strong, successful, and special.

Americans also recognize that values only exist because of God. The Founding Fathers expressed this idea in the Declaration of Independence, writing that “all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” Therefore, since God is the giver of rights, no state or government can take them away from the people. When the colonies declared their independence from Great Britain, they believed the King had violated their inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To ensure the exercise of their rights, they broke away from Britain and created a Constitution to protect the rights of the American people. Today, Americans can freely exercise their rights because of the colonists’ decision to declare independence from the British crown and to form a small government with limited powers.

Liberty, the third pillar of the American Trinity, means that the people are not enslaved to their government but are free to live their lives as they please, so long as they do not infringe on others’ rights. Liberty allows people to work as they choose, live where they want, vote for their preferred candidate, travel outside the county, buy and own private property, and marry and have as many children as they desire without fear of government punishment. While liberty does not promise equal outcome, it does guarantee equal opportunity for all citizens before the law. The American Trinity has no room for egalitarianism, a European value, because when the state prioritizes equal outcome, it does so at the expense of the individual’s liberties. But, the American definition of individual liberty differentiates itself from the rest of the world. Only in America is individual liberty prized above collective equal outcome.

Together, the three pillars of the American trinity — E. Pluribus Unum, In God We Trust, and Liberty — contribute to America’s greatness. These values have attracted people from all over the world to come to America and experience her glory. They have strengthened America, leading her to become the global superpower. And, most importantly, they have allowed the people of the United States of America to enjoy personal freedom like no other country.

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