By: Coco Xu

On July 4, 2024, the United States of America celebrated its 248th birthday.

I suppose I am writing this a month late, but I’ve decided to do it anyway. After all, if I didn’t, you might as well never even think to realize what a country America is.

Now, I realize that America is not particularly well-liked outside of its borders. But believe me, you’ll click out of this article with your mind brimming with all the reasons to love this country! Let’s stop dawdling and dive right in.

When discussing any country, you could hardly shy away from discussing its government. And my, is our government wonderous! It manages countless political affairs, except healthcare and education, with great skill. Our military is a great example – it’s been something that the government’s been spending tons of money on for a long time, even after the Soviet Union, one of our country’s greatest rivals, dissolved. As a result, we have among the most advanced militaries and one of the not-as-good healthcare systems. But that’s not something the government should be worrying about, am I right?
But if you ask me, the best thing to like about my government is how centralized it is.

Take our two-party system, for example. I will have to disagree with our first president George Washington’s disapproval of forming political parties on this topic, as a two-party system is a great way to limit the number of contradicting ideologies vying for control over the country. Plus, it makes voters’ lives a whole lot easier because you only have two options to choose from every time you need to vote.

I will admit, though, that a lot of the things my country has done has made it the target of controversy and criticism. But the fact that there are still millions of people who blindly and unconditionally love it is quite impressive. The reason is that our government is very good at presenting a good image of itself.

Every time it starts a military campaign on another country’s soil, like the ones in Mexico, Vietnam, and Iraq, it claims that it is in the name of “freedom.” Additionally, the government does a good job at making what shady things it has done virtually disappear. For instance, did you know that the assassination attempt on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t what actually killed him? After he was shot, he was rushed to a hospital where the John F. Kennedy administration ordered hospital workers to suffocate him to death.

Now that we’ve discussed the government, let’s go over the American people. Here, the general public’s core human rights are very respected. One outstanding example is the right to free speech; because of all the amazing things our country tells our citizens about itself, there’s nothing we can complain about, so we truly can say what we would like without the fear of persecution. Another great example is the right to bear arms; even after all the evidence regarding the danger it could cause, our politicians are still steadfast in protecting this right.

But now let’s talk about America’s economy. Ever wonder how we’ve managed to become one of the world’s richest countries? It’s because of our neoliberal ideology, of course! We gave our companies outsized power and freedom so that they can ramp up production (and, in turn, revenue earnings) without having to worry about restrictions like fair pay for workers. Our healthcare and education sectors are also highly dominated by the rich; after all, you should only get access to high-quality treatment or learning if you’ve earned your place at the top of society.

Something many people have questioned about America is its culture. Contrary to popular belief, which states that America is a melting pot of cultures, America actually does have a well-defined culture of its own. It’s rooted in Christianity, which has played a major role from America’s formation up to now. During history, we have used it as a justification for the suppression of peoples like American Indians and African Americans. Now, we use it as a reason for opposing issues like legalizing abortion (don’t you care about the value of life?) and expanding rights for members of the LGBTQIA+ community (don’t you care about God’s will?).

Better yet, if Mr. Donald Trump wins the presidency and passes Project 2025, a far-right set of legislation to centralize the government’s power, grant more freedom to the rich, integrate religion as part of the educational curriculum, illegalize abortion, and legalize LGBTQIA+ discrimination, religion’s role in society will become even more deeply entrenched.

Our national day is a time to remember everything our country has done and been through to prevent them from fading into the sands of time. And there sure is a lot to recall.

This is the land of the free and the home of the brave.

This is my country.

Happy late birthday, America.