There were over 500,000 “Make America Great Again” hats sold during the Trump campaign, but during this entire period, how many times did we stop to think about what really made us a great nation? I would argue that our nation isn’t great because of a strong military or anything tangible. What makes our nation the greatest country in the world is the principles that America was founded on.

We created a nation not to secure a place in history, nor to establish a royal bloodline. We started a nation for justice, equality and freedom. We sought out individuals to lead our nation that stood for the equality of all men and women; we did not seek out leaders to conquer all around us. While history has not exactly followed these same principles, that does not exempt us from ensuring that they are part of our future. We have made great strides to secure equality for all Americans regardless of gender, ethnicity or wealth, but we are not done yet. What truly makes America the greatest country in the world is the constant battle for the principles we hold dear.

America’s greatness cannot be quantified by percentages, stock market values or the size of the military. There are nations all around the world with great economies and great militaries, but what sets us above the rest is the indisputable drive to be better. It is the drive to secure a spot in our future for equality of all, not equality for few. It is the drive to establish justice for anybody without the dependence of wealth. Most importantly, it is the drive to make America free to all its inhabitants. Whether you immigrated from a war-torn nation, came for a better job or simply wanted to see Yosemite, America is great because America is free.

We must not let politicians trick us into believing American greatness is dependent on a governing party. Be skeptical of the drive behind our government’s actions. Are we doing this for justice, equality and freedom or are we doing this for partisanship? We must remember that America is not great because of tangible things or numbers on the news. We must continue to fight for the same principles that our ancestors fought for hundreds of years ago.