With respect, I understand some people want this to be true, but the description of the United States is almost entirely incorrect in practice:<p>&gt; American understanding of society is about removing government hinderances for your pursuit of happiness. Government is not believe to have a role in giving you anything.<p>That may be the desire of a few people, but currently in the U.S. government provides trillions of dollars in services to its citizens, from roads to security to healthcare to income to universities to transportation to communication to much, much more.<p>&gt; European understanding of society is that governments are there to ensure your rights<p>Check out the U.S.&#x27;s Declaration of Independence, where you will find perhaps the most famous words from one of the most famous political documents in history:<p><i>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.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men</i><p>It&#x27;s not just theory; in practice a very important role of governmnt in the U.S. is protecting rights. Many key rights for minorities and women are obtained through government. Property rights are protected by government. The U.S. Department of Justice even has a Civil Rights Division. [1] The whole contest for civil  rights in the U.S. is centered around getting government to pass laws or rulings.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.justice.gov&#x2F;crt" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.justice.gov&#x2F;crt</a>