AMERICA AT 250 July 3, 2026
Two hundred and fifty years post-Declaration of Independence, is America’s glass half-full or half-empty?
I’m no Pollyanna. I junked my rose-colored glasses and other items from the ’60s a long time ago. But last week, in “Flying With Resilience,” I wrote that air travel these days demands resilience—the ability to roll with the punches when confronted by constant flight delays and cancellations. People to whom I’ve told Carolyn’s and my experiences praised us. No need.
Losing your composure only makes a problem worse.
As to July Fourth, I don’t compare getting into our Waco hotel at 4:00 one morning and settling into our New York hotel two mornings later at 5:30 with the state of the union. The United States faces major challenges. The fireworks that light up our skies tomorrow night may be far brighter than our future. Donald Trump is that big a threat to our democracy and the American dream that drew my immigrant grandparents—bringing along my 2-1/2-year-old father—to these shores in 1906.
I say this as someone who loves America. I volunteered to serve in its military—Army, 1966-69. And I’m old enough—82 this Thursday—to have witnessed a chunk of our repeated cycles of triumph and failure.
The United States is not a perfect country. The dark shadows of our history include the slaughter and displacement of native peoples, slavery and Jim Crow, antisemitism and other forms of racism.
Yet despite our historic flaws, I fervently believe that the national good outweighs the bad and will continue to do so—if we choose.
America has offered refuge to people from around the world. Despite ethnic, religious, regional and cultural differences, this nation continues to produce new citizens who—unlike some of our native-born—revere our Constitution.
America remains the land of opportunity. “I am not throwing away my shot!” sings the young immigrant, Alexander Hamilton, in the award-winning musical, “Hamilton.” Yes, Hamilton was white. But look around. So many of the rest of us have given and achieved so much in spite of the odds.
Americans are resilient.
We’ve experienced bloody war and damaging economic downturns yet risen Phoenix-like from the ashes. Bloodied, yes. Bowed? No. Most of us push on towards “a more perfect union.”
Sadly, the far right yearns to slide back to an era when America often was deemed “a white man’s country.” Surprise! By 2050, white Americans will be a plurality—the largest among minority groups. So what? I’m a big fan of hyphenated identity—in my case, Jewish-American. I hold dear the shared right side of the hyphen.
“American” is a state of mind.
The future? Darker days may lie ahead. But I believe that as in our past, Americans can—will—recover our senses. I believe the United States in the coming years and when I’m long gone can and will live up to the ideals we profess. That we’ll not only talk the talk but walk the walk.
America has lots to celebrate. We also have our work cut out. Two millennia ago, Rabbi Tarfon advised in Pirke Avot (Wisdom of the Fathers): “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.”
True that!
Happy birthday, America! And Happy Fourth to you and yours!
Enjoy a great read about America’s 20th-century flirtation with authoritarianism in my novel RIDE THE TYGER. Order from Amazon, barnesandnoble.com, iuniverse.com, or your favorite bookstore.
I know our country will survive and I too believe we will right this ship. My concern is the collateral damage the Trump administration has done world wide. It will take generations to regain the trust they have squandered. If ever.
Sandy, it definitely will take time for our skittish allies to trust us again. And Americans to trust each other. It will happen, and we’ll have learned some lessons. But every generation will make its own mistakes.
There is so much to sift through in terms of Americans trusting one another. I actually don’t think that ever really existed outside of tight-knit and homogenous neighborhoods. The messages we are bombarded with every day, especially in the news, gives reasons not to trust each other.
We say “welcome the stranger” – but how often is that truly practiced?
Perhaps, Tamar, Americans do often welcome the stranger but not under all conditions. An individual is not often seen as a threat. Groups often are. The nation is imperfect. The positives, however, should be acknowledged. The negatives should be addressed. Complicated stuff too often simplified into nonsense.