Civil rights, moon landings and war wins: What Americans see as the country’s greatest achievements

Politics NewsCivil rights, moon landings and war wins: What Americans see as the country’s greatest achievementsThe NBC News poll asked American adults which historical event they thought was the country’s biggest accomplishment in its 250 years.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.NASA / Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 25, 2026, 5:00 AM EDTBy Ben Kamisar and Annelise HansonThe 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 Ame...