Conquest and Pioneering

The Spaniards occupied Central and South America, regions with far better natural conditions and higher levels of civilization than North America. Yet their societies ultimately fell far behind the United States and Canada. Canada’s climate is harsh and its natural conditions are even less favorable, but today its economy is far stronger than Mexico’s—so much so that Mexican migrants also attempt to enter Canada illegally. The reasons for this must be sought in the different cultural genes of the Spanish and the British. Americans inherited British cultural traditions, and when combined with the Puritans’ obedience to what they believed to be God’s calling, this produced the American miracle.

In today’s world, people often ask: Why is America strong? What does America rely on for its strength?

Some answer that it is because America values scientific and technological innovation. Others say it is because America emphasizes education and has many world-class universities. Still others point to America’s openness to talent from all over the world, or its favorable geography—its homeland was not devastated during World War I or World War II. Some conclude that America is strong because it is “vast in territory, populous, and naturally advantaged.”

All of these factors do contribute to America’s strength. But the fundamental cause lies in the pioneering spirit rooted in Puritan faith. Without this, it would be impossible to explain why Spain—despite arriving in the Americas earlier, occupying larger and far more favorable lands, and enjoying every apparent natural advantage—ultimately fell behind the United States.