This weekend, we celebrate our 250th birthday as a nation. A landmark that deserves a proper celebration, even though, relatively speaking, we are still very young compared to other nations. Even so, we have accomplished that of the greatest empire this world has ever seen.

There’s a reason for that. There’s a reason why God has allowed us to succeed so greatly in a short period of time.

Those reasons are not up for debate. We can bicker about minor details, but the core foundations of our country have been set in stone and are responsible for our greatness. These same foundations are under attack today, and the only way to preserve them is to nail down specifically what those core items are. They span from the physical all the way to the eternal, and I plan on covering such ground here in this column.

So, what is America, and what exactly does it mean to be an American?​

First, let’s delve into the physical realm of what exactly makes America, America. I’ve heard some argue that America isn’t really tied to the land that we stand on, and if you dropped the Constitution in any place in the world, then that place would be America. I believe that this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The fact of the matter is that we stand on the most beautiful continent on the face of the Earth. If you took the Constitution and placed it just anywhere, that place still wouldn’t have the Appalachian Mountains.

It wouldn’t have the ever-winding Mississippi River. It would be missing the gorgeous plains of the Midwest. There would be no awe-inspiring Grand Canyon or the mesmerizing features of Yellowstone. There would be no black bears roaming the woods, bald eagles swooping down to snag a trout, or even just a jackrabbit munching on shrubs.

You see, the physical beauty of America is just as crucial to our identity as anything. Dare I say, it’s essential. The landscape of our nation is what dared our founding fathers to be great. It’s what forced them to expand west and manifest destiny all the way to the Pacific. It sprang up greatness from its inspiring beauty alone. When you think of America, it’s not just an ordinary place on the map. It is the most amazing and indicative spot you could find.

Now, let’s jump to the eternal realm. America was founded as a Christian nation. No, it wasn’t founded as an exclusively Christian nation, but the Christian God and Christian doctrine were solely responsible for the ideals set forth to establish America. John Quincy Adams once said, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” The Declaration of Independence, the most important document in our nation’s history, starts by saying “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Do you think this was a mistake by Jefferson to place this in the preamble of such a foundational document? Absolutely not. Jefferson, with the stroke of a pen, declared that our nation was one that held firmly to the one and only true God, and that this was the entire basis of their fight for independence. George Washington led his men into battle with flags that said “Appeal to Heaven”, and he himself prayed for victory during his most daunting test in the woods at Valley Forge. It is undeniable that the faith of our founding fathers was the predominant motivator to kickstart the greatest nation there’s ever been.

The culture and heritage of America are, of course, an ever-so-important centerpiece of our identity as well. Just as much as the physical and eternal realms dictate our identity, this is just as important. One cannot overlook the role of Anglo-Saxonism in our nation’s founding, and it’s a phenomenal example of how each piece of this puzzle called America is not the same without the other. Because on this same piece of beautiful land, Native Americans roamed. What transpired was tribal savagery ridden with violence, rape, rival factions partaking in constant warfare, and a lack of innovation towards what America is now.

This, however, has nothing to do with skin color. But it has everything to do with beliefs and values as a culture. The Anglo-Saxon culture was that of Christendom, bravery, intellectualism, and a hatred of tyranny. Now, by no means am I claiming that these men were perfect. Slavery is a perfect example of the contrary. But their culture and system of beliefs are what propelled them forward to conquer and birth this nation. This same Anglo-Saxon culture is under attack today. Globalists seek to destroy our nation by flooding us with the Third World.

We are being invaded by those who are antithetical to our values and what has made America so great. If our culture wasn’t so immensely valuable to our identity, then it would not be under attack by our adversaries.

Lastly, America is where my ancestors called home. It’s where my grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and great-great-grandfathers all fought in every major war. It’s where they came as settlers in the 1600s. It’s where they won the Revolutionary War. It’s where they started families and carried on their traditions. It’s where they fought each other in the Civil War and came together afterwards as brothers. It’s where they won both World Wars and participated in the rise of the post-WWII American empire. It’s where they went to church, married their wives, raised their kids, went through struggles, and lived many adventures to tell their kids later on. America is not an idea. America is not “in the eyes of the beholder”.

America is a distinct place, with a distinct faith in Christ, with a distinct heritage and culture. Like I said, these are not up for debate, nor are they able to be substituted. Without each and every one of these, America would no longer be America.​

On our 250th birthday as a nation, I urge you to reflect upon this and thank God that you were blessed to be an American. But most importantly, consider how you can help preserve this great nation for your kids and grandkids to enjoy later on. I, for one, am proud to be an American and will do whatever it takes to keep it the greatest nation on Earth.

Justin “JP” Plott is the executive producer/co-host of “The Rightside with Allison and Amie Beth” and co-owner of Rightside Media. You can find him on X @JPRightside. Watch “The Rightside with Allison and Amie Beth” every weekday from 10am-12pm CT at www.rightsidemedia.org.