On Saturday we’ll celebrate America’s 250th birthday! I’m sure you’ve heard it, but let’s take time to recognize that we live in a pretty great place that’s the envy of the world, and it’s okay to spend some time celebrating this great nation.
I got a little curious about how old other countries are, and where the U.S. falls in that list. Without sounding too much like a book report, it turns out the average age of countries in the world is a bit under 160 years. If we listed all of the UN’s 193 countries by age, the U.S., surprisingly, is older than 170 of them.
Sadly, the percentage of folks who are proud to be Americans has been on the decline lately. While I’d attribute that to a variety of things, I think it’s time for a little reminder about some of the things that help make America special.
While there’s no single thing that sets the U.S.’s style of government apart from all others, there is a very important combination that helps distinguish it from others.
- The U.S. Constitution (1789) is the world’s oldest written national constitution still in force. Many older countries have rewritten their constitution multiple times.
- The U.S. has a more rigid separation of government branches than most nations, providing more stringent checks and balances on any one branch’s power.
- We’ve got a strong Federal system in addition to independent State governments. The Federal Government cannot simply abolish or overrule certain aspects of State Governments. States have their own constitutions, legislatures, and laws that vary across state borders.
- It’s hard to amend our constitution. There has to be very broad agreement to pass an amendment, (two-thirds of both houses of Congress or a convention called by two-thirds of the states, and ratification by three-fourths of the states). In addition to the 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights, there have only been 17 other constitutional amendments since the Constitution was written.
This style of governance has proven flexible enough for the country to survive numerous peaceful transitions of power, a civil war, multiple government overhauls, various government shutdowns, natural disasters, two World Wars, a decades-long Cold War, and a host of smaller crises. The government is intentionally slow and demands broad agreement to take any action, preventing an erratic establishment of laws. So while it can move frustratingly slow, that’s part of the key to its flexibility and success.
What about the way this translates to the lives of everyday people?
We’re a Capitalist society. That means when it comes to earning money, you’re free to either work for an already-established business (the route most people take), or strike out on your own to provide goods or services you believe others will pay for (if you’ve got a good idea, have the means to do some prototyping, and are willing to bet on yourself, you have a potential pathway to building a successful business). The market is not forgiving or kind, but it leads to businesses that can adapt and provide things people are truly willing to part with their money for.
Obviously, we’re not perfect. It’s very expensive to buy or rent a place to live here. Political gridlock is at an all-time high while approval for politicians is at an all-time low. People believe their intense anger justifies the harming of other people or gives them permission to infringe on others’ rights. Any time you have people with diverse schools of thought, you’re going to have disagreement, and the scope, manner, and intensity of that discord manifests itself in different ways. We’re still the envy of the world. Other countries and other people want what we have. It’s very easy these days to find Americans who are dissatisfied with their nation, but you’ll notice it’s not so terrible for them that other countries become more appealing to move to.
We’re moving into a period in history where there are new challenges, new threats, and different types of instability in a multipolar world. It’s no longer the US vs. the Soviet Union; it’s varieties of alliances and “sometimes” partnerships that make governing more difficult and complex. That’s probably something that’s not going to get any simpler anytime soon.
In the meantime, let’s be grateful for the blessings we enjoy here in the U.S. We have clean, potable water in every zip code in the country. Americans have an extremely low chance of dying from starvation. Very high percentages of the population have access to hospitals, emergency services, the internet, cell phone service, reliable food sources, ranch dressing, and Amazon/Walmart delivery. It’s not like that in many places in the world.
We’re not perfect as a nation, but we’re blessed to live here. As we move beyond 250 years as a nation, let’s be thankful for each other, the freedoms and privileges we enjoy, and the fact that we get to argue about ideas rather than necessities. Let’s be tolerant of ideas we don’t always agree with, but not manufactured or manipulative rage. It’s okay to disagree, but it’s not okay to belittle the people who hold to principles differing from yours. Let’s return to having a civil discourse, criticizing ideas instead of people, intolerance of prejudice (sexism, classism, racism of all types, ageism, etc.), and working hard not only to get ahead, but to make your community and country better. If you’re American, the American flag should be something you can be proud of and be united behind. “United we stand, divided we fall.”
Happy birthday USA, and thanks for everything so far!