Out of the subjects of religion, science, war, and law, it is difficult to narrow down what has been most impactful to the United States. This list will consist of my opinions, from least to greatest.

I would say that religion ranks as the least impactful, although it has been important in shaping the way both good and evil people who believe have operated in this country’s history. You have the inspiring and revered devout like the abolitionist John Brown and Reverend Martin Luther King. You also have the morally dubious, like Billy Graham and the various cults that have cropped up in US history.

The realm of science ranks higher due to the various inventions/innovations achieved in the United States. Our achievements with flight alone have been astounding, from the Wright Brothers’ first flight to breaking the sound barrier. It has also been over fifty years and no other nation has yet to land humans on another celestial body.

In matters of law, this has been the second most impactful aspect that shaped America. The formation of laws by elected officials, who are empowered by the consent of the governed, has been a will hopefully forever remain the cornerstone of our republic. The court cases that decided law enforcement procedures, the specifics of civil rights, the standards of ethical research, and that simply justice for everyday people have become ingrained into the fabric of our nation. The execution of the law, while definitely not perfect, is still something crucial to how the US continues to operate.

War has by far been the most impactful aspect of America’s identity. We won our independence through conflict, we protected our shipping through conflict, but we destroyed countless tribes, halved Mexico, conquered millions of square miles, lost ourselves in a distant jungle, and wasted years in the desert through conflict. We did however grow through conflict, starting when we successfully fought to end slavery. When faced with a foe that made us seriously reconsider how we viewed ourselves, we fought and won against the Nazis and other fascist powers. When faced with nuclear annihilation, we When a far off nation called Kuwait was invaded by Iraq in 1991, we conducted arguably the greatest military campaign in human history and won. Our weapons, from the Gatling gun, to the atomic bomb, to stealth aircraft have time and again reshaped warfare on the global stage. We are as of right now the most powerful military to ever exist in human history, tempered and kept sharp, but answerable and reliant upon a civilian government. That is why out of these four concepts, war has shaped America the most.