Happy 250th! What Made America Great

by Rabbi Ed Rosenthal, CEO and Founder, Repair the Sea

Happy Birthday, America!

In just a few days, here in the United States, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding. At the same time, as we celebrate, we cannot ignore the fact that there has not been this level of internal division and conflict in the United States since the Civil War. The Right blames the Left, and the Left blames the Right. “Make America Great Again” is the battle cry of many in the country.  But the question I ask at this 250^th anniversary is: What truly made America great? 

Some say it’s the people.  Well, there are great people to be found in every country. So, it can’t just be the people. Some will say it’s the freedom we enjoy in the United States. Well, there are 195 recognized countries in the world, and according to Freedom House, 80–90 of them are considered to be democracies with substantial civil and political freedom. So, it can’t just be the freedom we enjoy that makes America great. Some will say it’s our military. Well, unlike in other periods of human history when a strong military was used to conquer others and control the world (think ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Spain, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, etc.), our military is not intended to conquer the world. Rather, our military is the result of a strong nation, not the source of it.

So, what made America Great? You may not agree with me, but what made America great is…

Water.

Yes, water is what truly made America great. 

It was not the Republican Party. It was not the Democratic Party. It’s not MAGA. It’s not even the Constitution. As great as it is, the Constitution is not perfect. In the preamble, it says its purpose is “to create a more perfect union.” More perfect is not perfect. It simply reflects our striving to achieve perfection.

So, how was it water that made America great?

Allow me to explain. 

Let’s start with the most important water of all in America: The Mississippi River, a river that most people in the country have never seen and probably couldn’t identify on a map. And I’m not saying that just because I am a native St. Louisan who grew up with the Mississippi River. I’m saying this from an unbiased perspective.

The Mississippi River is 2,340 miles of uninterrupted and completely navigable water.

Combined with its major tributaries, the Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Ohio, and Tennessee Rivers, and hundreds of smaller rivers, the Mississippi connects 31 states through roughly 28,000 miles of navigable waterways. Together, these waterways connect hundreds of river ports and several hundred cities across the central United States. That’s more navigable waterways than the rest of the world combined. Add to this the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes, and it becomes clear that water was the key driver of America’s rise as a global superpower.

In the 1800’s, transporting goods and produce by water was about 10 times cheaper than transporting it by land. With access to the Gulf of Mexico and all of the Mississippi’s tributaries, farmers and manufacturers in the Midwest and Plains states were able to get their products to markets across the country and around the world faster and cheaper than anyone else.

In addition, the Mississippi River Basin is situated between the Appalachian and the Rocky Mountains, making it the largest watershed in the world (covering about 1.245 million square miles) and located in the largest tract of arable farmland on Earth. Together, these rivers and tributaries laid the foundation to make America the economic and manufacturing superpower it is today. And it all began with the water; Water that has flowed freely, not just for 250 years, but since time immemorial; Water that has flowed for millions, if not billions, of years; Water that united cities, that united a country, and brought U.S. goods to the world. It is the Water, not created by Man, not by any individual, not by any political party, but it is the Water created by God, that made America great.

Mississippi River Basin

On the 4^th of July, we celebrate and sing “God Bless America,” but in fact, it is the water that God blessed, and it is the water which God blessed America with that has made America great.

So, whether you live in the United States or anywhere else in the world, recognize that it is the water that makes your country great, for without it…We all will die.

God Bless the Water…and God Bless Us All.