America would have developed differently without the early settlers being people of virtue. There is a book, Democracy in America, by a French political philosopher, Alexis de Tocqueville, in which the importance of virtuous citizens is a key point. While the early citizens were patriotic, I think what made the greatest difference in the success of the nation was civic virtue.

Furthermore, our Founding Fathers also emphasized the importance of virtuous individuals to make democracy work. It is necessary that individuals themselves not be corrupt so that their government can also be principled.

Things have changed. God has been taken out of education and much of society, so things aren't going well. Many governments try to operate as though it's merely a matter of technical skill. But it's not the skill that leads to national success. We see the consequences of removing God as the inspiration for good governance. It seems like political leaders have the mind that government is the new god, except that it has no morals or virtue, just dominance and control.