Yes, "officially" it is recognized that he went into space, but he still never left Earth's atmosphere. It was more the symbolic nature of landing on another object -- we could actually escape Earth's gravity.

Bill of rights and establishing congress to weaken the executive branch.

I'd argue the Civil War was the darkest moment in American history, our example of our willingness to wage total war against our fellow countrymen.

I agree with MrStickball. Given that we're the only country to put an individual on a non-earthly body so far, that is one thing above any other American accomplishment that no-one can claim to have emulated, done first, or done better (which isn't to say there aren't other great, uniquely American achievements, of course).

The more fun academic question is coming up with one defining achievement for every country.

England's got us beat about 560 years there. Granted, nowhere near to the same degree, but the idea is hardly ours. (with charterism, that is. With a Republic alone, you go look at antiquity).

Oh God, this statement makes me sick to my stomach to the point of wanting to vomit.

Well yes, but by that measure the ISS isn't in space either.  Going by the internationally agreed standard he is the first man in space and the first man to orbit the earth.

For me that is the marginally greater milestone in human history than the first man on the moon.

I assume you feel it is marginally the other way.  I suspect the majority of people in the West (possibly the world) would agree with you rather than me.  I wonder though, if the US had been first into space and the USSR had landed on the moon would people still feel that the moon was the greater achievement?

We'll never know of course, and I just hope we (the world) push on to new frontiers sooner rather than later.

Anyway, about the US.  Definitely the Moon landing (assuming by badass we mean important).

While it is more complex than that, that's what the bulk of it boils down to. The South was fighting to preserve its economic way of life (for there were other concerns, such as tariffs that favored New England factories versus European competitors), but slavery was the cornerstone of the South's Latin-American-esque (versus the North's European-esque) lifestyle, and so was the primary motive for fighting.

It would have been more bad ass if we kept at it instead of giving up on space. 

Prior to the civil war the central governments job was strictly foreign affairs. As is always the case with politics, slavery and economics were just guises to usurp states rights and sovereignty, paving the way for a central bank to rule the land.

The moon landing was definitely up there, especially as JFK said it would happen, its a shame he never got to see it. But the way they handled themselves in ww2 was badass too, playing a major part in clearing the nazis from western europe.