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AMERICA AT 250: A NATION STILL BECOMING

By Neil Perry

On July 4, 2026 we will celebrate this nation’s anniversary — it’s a moment not only to reflect on the past but to consider what kind of nation we have become and what kind of nation we hope to be.

This year we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the birth certificate of the United States of America. It’s the fundamental document this country stands on and is central to our existence.

Through debate, reinvention and optimism the Declaration of Independence is the cornerstone that has held this country together. The public’s trust in its founding documents and institutions — the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and its Amendments remain among the most influential political texts in world history. They have withstood internal conflicts, economic crises, national debates and wars. They are the bedrock upon which this country stands while other nations have fractured. Two and a half centuries is long enough to accumulate a complicated history, yet short enough that the country still feels young, restless and unfinished.

In the 21st century, the U.S. is again remaking itself as it faces new challenges. After the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, rising powers have sought to challenge American influence in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. To meet the challenges, the U.S. now continues to evolve toward greater freedom, equality and openness while striving to maintain its position as a world leader. The tension between these aspirations has always caused us to adapt to political and economic challenges. Standing up and facing those challenges remains one of our defining traits.

To observe the United States from a distance is to watch a society built not on ancient bloodlines or inherited hierarchies, but on philosophical gambles. From the beginning, America was an experiment in possibility: What happens when a society places unusual trust in the individual? What emerges when a nation organizes itself around the belief that human beings, left largely free to pursue their ambitions, will generate prosperity, innovation and progress?

Unlike older nations rooted in ancestry or ancient tradition, the United States was founded on ideas — liberty, equality and self-government. These were not only political principles but cultural ones. They shaped how Americans saw themselves and how they believed a society should function.

The founders envisioned a nation that gave individuals the opportunity to direct their own lives with minimal governmental interference. By creating a republic, they fulfilled that concept with a system that gives power to citizens who are entitled to vote and the majority of their votes tells elected leaders how to govern. For the first time in history, it’s a system based upon the voice of the citizens and the law.

The founders didn’t imagine a perfect nation; they imagined a nation capable of self-correction through debate and the consent of its citizens. The system was designed to channel disagreement into discussion and ultimately into consensus. That willingness to argue is not a sign that something has gone wrong; it’s part of the American political character. These ideals continue to draw millions of immigrants seeking to escape the past and pursue a better future.