Celebrating America’s 250th
by Senator Jason Rarick
The Fourth of July is an incredible holiday – it’s often a time we get together with friends and family, watch fireworks, barbecue, and enjoy a well-deserved break from daily routines. But in reality, the Fourth of July represents so much more than that, and even more so this year. I wanted to take a moment to highlight what makes this year so special.
You may have heard the phrase “America250” in recent months and wondered, “what exactly does that mean?” It’s really a shorthand way of saying it’s the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, also known as our semiquincentennial. America250 is also the official organization established by Congress to lead the celebration, encourage civic engagement, and educate Americans about our nation’s history.
This year our country celebrates 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This is a historic milestone, one which few countries have had the opportunity to experience. It is a chance to reflect on the courage, sacrifice, and vision of those who laid the foundation for the United States and to recognize the generations of Americans who have worked to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today. In my opinion, it is worthy of much fanfare.
Every Fourth of July, we celebrate the moment our founders declared that America would chart its own course. In 1776, they took an extraordinary leap of faith, believing that government should derive its power from the consent of the governed and that liberty was worth defending at all costs. Thomas Jefferson was only 33 years old when he drafted the document that would guide our nation.
Even though we celebrate our Independence on July 4 every year, a fun historical fact is that our Declaration of Independence was approved on July 2, adopted on July 4, but the signing did not take place until August 2. Due to this timeline, John Adams believed July 2 would become our annual day of celebration. But because Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence on the 4th, that is the day forever etched into the archives.
The spirit of trailblazing has endured throughout our nation’s history. In George Washington’s first inaugural address, he reminded Americans of the responsibility that comes with self-government and that leap of faith, “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." I believe these sentiments to ring just as true today as they did then. Our government continues to depend on informed and engaged citizens who are committed to preserving the blessings of liberty for future generations.
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we should take time not only to enjoy the festivities and time with our families, but to also reflect on our nation’s incredible story: where we have been, the challenges we have overcome, and the opportunities that still lie ahead. It is my hope that we can unite in appreciation for the freedoms we share and the enduring principles that have guided our country for 250 years.
This Independence Day, I hope you will join me in celebrating our nation’s history, honoring those who have sacrificed to protect our freedoms, and looking forward with optimism to America’s future. God Bless America, and Happy 250th birthday to our great country that we all have the privilege of living in.