If you study US History, particularly the Founding, you will find that the men leading the birth of the United States, positioned Independence as the core value. You can see this in their written works, including the Declaration of Independence. But one could argue, that as of perhaps the last 100 years or so, the United States is shifting towards the reduction of suffering becoming the main value or core tenet of the country. 

A lot of policies, politicians, protests, etc seem to center around trying to reduce a pain point in our society. Even to the point, of superseding independence, liberty, and personal responsibility. We talk about what this shift means and what we should do about it.