Look past partisanship, and celebrate 250 years of freedom
Introduction to America’s 250th Anniversary
It’s tragic that the country’s 250th anniversary is coming at a time of profoundly performative division. The gap in patriotic sentiment between parties has expanded dramatically, with 93% of Republicans calling themselves very or extremely proud to be an American, versus just 27% of Democrats.
The Rise of Anti-American Sentiment
The rising class of anti-American Americans is concentrated in our cities and college towns, most notably among younger, educated people. One recent survey of young Americans concluded that most thought they were living in what surveyors described as “a dying empire led by bad people.” Many who declared Trump “not my president” now increasingly feel that America is not their country, either.
Restrictions on Celebrations
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tried to restrict some celebrations, including public events at Times Square. The traditional Fourth of July fireworks show in Long Beach has been canceled. San Marcos, a San Diego County affluent community that leans Democratic, has even banned hanging flags on the street.
Hollywood’s Lack of Patriotism
Hollywood, now largely a bastion of the progressive left, is not likely to celebrate our semiquincentennial, either. Not with stars like Billie Eilish claiming that “no one is illegal on stolen land.” I doubt she plans to hand back her manse to the Tongva, the original inhabitants of Los Angeles, or to move somewhere that has no history of taking land from someone else (if she can find such a place).
Politicians’ Anti-American Views
Some leftist politicians, notably from the ascendant Democratic Socialists of America, see the autocracies of the Third World as their preferred role model. Some politicians, particularly on the left, even get away with saying they favor other countries over their own. The two Democrats in one of the recent New York congressional primaries said they were cheering for Senegal or Mexico, rather than the US, in the World Cup, a position that once would have been disqualifying.
President Trump’s Role in the Celebration
Many would say that President Trump is not helping to bring Americans together, either. Critics say that he has attempted to turn the 250th anniversary into what the National Review labeled “another Trump campaign rally.” The leftist New Republic called the celebration “Donald Trump’s lost cause.” However, events he sponsored, like the Great American State Fair, are hardly Nuremberg rallies.
The Need for Unity and Affirmation
What is needed now is less partisanship and more affirmation of the uniqueness of being American. Canadians and Europeans may scoff at our nationalism, but we are still far more willing to defend our country than they are theirs. And despite the negativity that surrounds us, Americans are far less pessimistic than our more “collective” Anglophone cousins in Britain and elsewhere.
America’s Uniqueness and Strengths
We also still revere our founding documents. According to a recent survey, most Americans embrace the founding principles in the Declaration of Independence — “that all men are created equal,” and that the goal of a state is to allow “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” America dominates the list of the very largest companies on earth, and this dominance is getting stronger. Critically, America is consolidating its domination of aerospace, with far more orbital launches than the rest of the world put together.
America’s Progress and Diversity
My daughters are shocked when I tell them about seeing “Colored Only” signs on the road to Williamsburg back in the early 1960s. In contrast, they saw a man of African descent win the White House and live in a society where racial tolerance, notes Brookings, is espoused by a great majority. Our Founders might be horrified by the banality of today’s America, as well as its gaping fiscal worries. But they also would find much to admire in a very diverse society — still growing, still seeking, still wanting to reach ever further into the solar system.
Conclusion: Something to Celebrate
The basic reality, to borrow from the Founders, is self-evident. The system they developed is still working. America remains the preeminent country on earth and still functions as a very contentious democracy. Not bad for a nation that started with a threadbare rebellion, far from what was once considered the center of civilization. That is something to really celebrate. Source: WorldNewsAPI | Read original