By writing "Old Ironsides," Oliver Wendell Holmes asserted that the United States ______.
a. was every bit as strong, proud, and important as the older nations of Europe.
b. was a nation of pious and industrious citizens and a place of great possibility.
c. was too young to be considered among the great nations of the world.
d. would be conquered by the nations of Europe if it scrapped Old Ironsides.