Ryan Dixon

Mrs. Thomas

UWRT 1104 - 037

March 3, 2017

Reflection:

After discussing my topic with my group members, they brought multiple ideas to

my attention. They told me to discuss why our military salute shows a back of our hand

instead of the palm of our hand. Other ideas they had was to discuss more of our rivals

and how they push us to be number one in many divisions and be better than them. One

concept I had not thought of before was to include the hardships that the United States

has battled through such as the depression and how that made us strong as a nation. So

to answer the questions of my classmates I introduced the questions of the military salute

and why is it significant, the influence our rival nations bestow upon us, and how the

great depression affected our patriotism.

Why do Americans Believe the US is the greatest country in the world?

Americans have always embodied a tremendous amount of patriotism. How can

we not when we defeated the British to gain our freedom in the Revolutionary war, and

are back to back World War champs. We also had many more accomplishments that we

achieved before rival countries. So it seems to me like the United States has plenty to

brag about. But there must be more to why we make such proclamations about our

country, so to try and add rational to our claims I came upon my inquiry question: Why

do Americans believe the United States is the greatest country in the world? The United

States is a much younger country and a much more civilized and technologically
advanced nation. I like this question, because it allows me to dive deeper into the history

of the United States and learn more about our country and those we compare ourselves to.

The United States of America still holds the title of the worlds superpower.

However, this does not mean we are number one in every category countries are judged

on. The US ranks No. 1 in Power and Leadership, but falls short at No. 2 in political

influence behind Russia and behind China in economic influence. These countries push

each other to be better and improve to outdo their competition. This is what pushes the

United States to hold the title of worlds superpower, however any one of these three

countries has the potential to be the worlds next superpower. But there are factors about

our country that questions taking our country off its high pedestal. This was purposely

implemented because it installed checks and balances on each branch of government.

Lately with the election and new president it may look as if these powers arent being

checked, so how are those powers restrained? This system has to make our government

one of the best because everything has to have a second opinion right? This restricts any

unjust moves or decisions affecting the country as a whole. So, how does our system of

government set us apart from other democratic nations or any other nation in the world?

The one factor the US obtains that no other country can match is our military.

This might be our most influential aspect, and one that we are most proud of. It started as

farmers and local countrymen during the revolutionary war that defeated the skilled

British redcoats, and destroyed those that dared challenge the ideology of democracy or

dreamed of world domination. Our military is our pride and joy. What I have found is

while we possess such a strong offense and equivalent defense militarily, we havent used

it to its full potential or we dont have the willingness to use such force. While many saw
former president Obama as a great leader and was highly respected in much of the world,

he was not willing to use our military personnel. I dont want this proposal to get political

but it is just one item that I found that appeared interesting that I investigated. Another

ideal that relates back to our combat history and technically never losing as war, is the

history of our salute. Viewing the back of someone's hand appears more threatening when

compared to the palm of their hand. What is the significance of our salute because to me

personally I think our salute looks a whole lot cooler than the open handed salute.

The United States was founded off personal freedoms set forth by our founding

fathers, which were not found in other countries at the time. I believe this adds much

respect from many overseas countries as many pilgrims came to America for freedoms of

religion, speech and to basically start a new life. Is this what sparked such patriotism

before the US was even founded or did it start when we began the initial push away from

Great Britain around 1776? Taking a look at our countys past, it has included many wars

where we have defended our freedoms and the freedoms of others. However most of

those conflicts occurred on foreign soil. Comparing this to the history or our European

friends we have been very fortunate. Huge disagreements have destroyed countries and

reshaped their landscapes, millions of soldiers were lost, and economies left in ashes. The

United States has been very fortunate not to have similar circumstances, but we have

aided in and been involved in those devastating wars. This does not go to say the US has

not been wounded by these events, we have merely received less battle scars to our

country sides and sandy beaches than those overseas.

The United States has been affected by more than things that politics, and

conflicts; there have been many hard times for the US in our short history. The biggest
item on the list is probably the great depression. Nobody could hold a job, the economy

tanked, and people lost just about everything they owned. How could we have ever

bounced back from this situation, and when we did how was patriotism conserved and

how was it affected?

My inquiry question helps me and those who read my inquiry, expand our

understanding of our great nations history, triumphs, downfalls, and the people that make

our country what it is today. Every American has some sense of patriotism inside of them,

while we may not understand why, my inquiry question may help us to understand a little

bit more of our strong love for our beloved country.