The abolition of slavery.The expansion of civil rights and voting rights.
Victory in World War II.Landing people on the moon.
Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.As America nears its 250th anniversary, those are among the events its people call the greatest accomplishments in their country’s history, according to the latest NBC News poll, which was sponsored by More Perfect, a nonpartisan nonprofit group dedicated to advancing democracy.Unlike other poll questions with multiple-choice answers, this one was completely open-ended.Still, people’s answers generally fell into three broad buckets: Close to two-thirds of respondents chose events related to the expansion of rights, while about one-sixth each chose military or diplomatic-related events and events related to science or economic achievement.
A word cloud of responses to a poll question about what Americans think the country's greatest achievement has been.NBC NewsTop of mind for many was the end of slavery following the Civil War and the ratification of the 13th Amendment.The 1865 amendment formally ended slavery in the U.S., liberating more than 4 million enslaved people.
“The abolition of slavery was a magnificent achievement for us.I think one of our strengths was we used to make laws to help people,” a Texas man in his 30s told the pollsters.
Others said the 13th Amendment laid a foundation for equal opportunity to succeed in American society.“It was a great thing because it gave freedom for everyone.
Everybody has equal rights,” said a woman in her 50s.“Everybody [has] the same chance to achieve and think and speak your opinion.
You have a right to speak, to work.You have a right to education, everything.” Some respondents pointed to subsequent developments that expanded rights further for Black Americans, as well as the national expansion of voting rights to women with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 �...