Title: What Makes America Great
Author: Bob Dowell
Publisher: Toplink Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-9950540-72-3
Pages: 93
Genre: Religion
Reviewed by: CC Thomas

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Bob Dowell, the author of What Makes America Great, was weary of the constant haranguing and the back-and-forth on media about the real meaning of Donald Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.” This hotly debated term speaks to patriotism, regardless of individual political bent, and the author wanted to consider the slogan from an unbiased historical perspective. So, Dowell decided to see for himself if and when America was great in order to determine if America could, indeed, once again return to the era of greatness suggested by the slogan.

Dowell looked back to the earliest days of America and establishes its founding with the Puritans, who came to this new land to establish a God-centered community. Dowell determines that America was founded on Biblical principles and cites the Bay Colony as evidence. In their literature, he finds the first use of the phrase “city upon a hill” used for America. The phrase was used by the Bay Colony leaders as a guide for their life and government with the aim that this new country would be a godly example that could shine forth to other nations. This idea, of America as a Godly beacon, is expressed repeatedly in early American documents, including the Declaration of Independence. The overall belief is that God is at the head of the government and that the Bible should be a guide for community development.

Dowell argues that the phrase “all men are created equal” is a God-given right, as evidenced by the phrase “endowed by their Creator.” According to Dowell, America’s most important societal, political, and government leaders understood that a Christian-based faith is the basis of our constitutional rights and cites many historical leaders as examples, such as the “contemporary prophet” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dowell’s What Makes America Great comes to the conclusion that America is an experiment of a God-centered commonwealth. His focus on historical figures with religious sentiments illustrate that this feature is what caused America to be great in the past and is what separates America from other nations. While some might believe harking to America’s past greatness is a return to times of prosperity and power, Dowell states that the campaign slogan is really an attempt to return America to her Biblically-centered roots. Dowell suggests that focusing on the phrase “Make America Great Again” will help many to understand the real vision our historical leaders had for America—the city that shines forth with Godly examples of leadership.