America 250 and Beyond

On this 250th anniversary of our nation's independence, I am immensely proud to be an American. 

For starters, I know that America is and always has been "Great." I also know that America does and always will need to be made better. This was the case in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776 and it was the case over 100 years ago when my great-grandparents and two of my grandparents, like so many of our fellow Americans from all points on Earth, came to our shores and became Americans.One of the best things about being an American is our system allows us to recognize flaws and use our freedoms and liberties to improve upon them. For that, we can thank our Constitution,

 

I was not born when our nation celebrated its Bicentennial 50 years ago but I know there was largely a different vibe in the country then. Perhaps, 200 just feels more momentous than 250, but after years of turmoil and a lessening of confidence in our country, America was largely united then to celebrate how far we had come. 

 

While patriotism is very much on display today, we are not as united as we had been or could be or should be. We are not as united in our pride of country as say our neighbor Canada is right now. There are multiple factors for that and none should be overlooked but the most singular one is that 11 years ago, a malevolent man came down a golden escalator and has worked every day since to divide us and place emotions, either positive or negative about him, over our feelings for America itself.

 

It seems hard to believe, but his plan has largely worked. Millions of Americans used their voice and their votes to place him at the helm of leadership on this Semiquincentennial, a word he probably cannot pronounce, let alone spell, and that is part of our story. That is part of our history. We can be and should be bigger than one man or one party or the divisions, many of them healthy, that exist in a free society. With that in mind, I wish more Americans felt the pride and determination about our country that I do, but I can at least understand where so many are coming from. This era is a test and our posterity will come to know whether we passed it or not and how those of us who during this era felt concern and outrage reacted and worked to make America a "more perfect Union."

 

Next year will be America's 251st birthday. By then, despite all sorts of efforts at the top to undermine them, our citizens will have voted coast to coast in federal, state, and local elections, for executive, legislative, and judicial positions. All sorts of individuals will go on to win those elections, some good, some bad, some in between, but America means respecting those results. Those winners will have been  in office for a few months by next July and I hope and believe there will be additional safeguards established to protect our country from any would be despot in the White House. 

 

After that, will come America 252. By this point, we should know whom the two main individuals are, (perhaps there will even more a third or more) running to replace the current Executive, as the law clearly states, and what their visions are for America at home and around the world. Needless to say, this will be a lively time full of much fighting. In some major ways though, it will not be much different than the battle between Adams and Jefferson. More people will have the right to vote though and should choose wisely. For as much as so many of us dislike the direction and agenda of the party currently in power, many of those in the opposition, seem headed in a dangerous direction also. Some of them seem more than willing to abuse the office in the same ways, either as a matter of revenge or to suit their own ideological means. Many of those who are angriest at the current regime do not want to drive us to normalcy but instead would veer us on a course of ideological extremism and historically failed and dangerous policies. It will be a test for our nation to avoid that fate and by July 4, 2028, much will be clearer.

 

I am optimistic though that America 253 will be a proud and happy day. Some man or woman will be the 48th (or 49th) President, and hopefully doing as decent of a job as possible, but America will be bigger than that person. We can take heart when that President upholds their oath of office but on maters of disagreement, be they big or small, we as Americans must always retain our right to dissent and to speak out and demand the appropriate checks and balances.

 

After all we have been through over 250 years, the history is clear and we should expect America to pass any test.

 

As Lincoln said in our darkest time as a country,  "this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."