The United States is marking a milestone on Saturday — the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The semiquincentennial is a mouthful of a term, but it’s an astounding achievement. The founders created not only the world’s most remarkable experiment in limited government, but a durable one. Our nation has had its share of challenges and travails, but two and a half centuries of representative democracy is not easily dismissed.
We’re also the most prosperous large nation that the world has ever known.
Yet Americans don’t seem to be in a celebratory mood. “A Reuters/Ipsos poll reveals that one in five Americans will not mark Independence Day this year,” as the Independent reported. “Furthermore, two in five respondents doubt the nation’s ability to endure for another 250 years.” It’s optimistic to expect any political system to endure for 250 years, but many Americans — at least if social media debates are an accurate indication — fear that our nation won’t survive another 10 or 20 years given the divided nature of our increasingly vicious politics.
President Donald Trump hasn’t helped matters. He promised that the July 4 celebration at the White House would be a Trump rally, which is inappropriate given it’s about our nation, its people and its founders — not any president. Against that backdrop, it’s not surprising that his Great American State Fair on the National Mall was an extraordinary flop, with few attendees.
But Americans shouldn’t be so dour. This isn’t the first Independence Day that came during turbulent times. We’ve celebrated them during eras of war, protest and other challenges. Politico recounted the atmosphere in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 1861, near the beginning of the Civil War: “There were still many malcontents living in Washington, and Confederate troops were perilously close.”
There never were good old days, just different times with other struggles. While we understand the trepidation, we urge our fellow Americans to eagerly partake in the weekend’s festivities. This nation still merits celebration. As Ronald Reagan famously said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same.”
Whatever one’s political views, this holiday is our latest chance to stand up for the ideals of the founders. We believe there are still many great things ahead of us, although that hinges in part on the willingness of Americans from both sides of the political spectrum to view each other as fellow citizens in an amazing political project and, well, chill out a little bit. Maybe fireworks, flag-waving and barbecues are exactly what’s needed right now. It can’t hurt.
Let’s not forget the words in the document that helped start it all: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The war ended in 1783. The U.S. Constitution, which enshrined our rights, was ratified five years later. The challenge this year is for Americans to commit themselves to social peace, so this glorious experiment can continue. Let’s put aside our grievances for a day and celebrate.