July 4, 2026

Celebrating the American Idea

Welcome to the Civic Way journal, our periodic take on the relevance of current events to America’s future. This is a brief commentary onAmerica’s 250^th birthday. The author, Bob Melville, is the founder of Civic Way, a nonprofit dedicated to good government, and a management consultant with over 45 years of government experience.

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Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better. – Albert Camus

America’s 250^th birthday is here. The semiquincentennial is an ideal moment to celebrate our nation, but what should we celebrate? What exactly about the American experiment merits our gratitude? Given the sacrifices of so many who preceded us, this question demands more than fireworks and platitudes.

Must we overlook America’s many transgressions to appreciate its notable achievements? Slavery? Native American genocide. The Trail of Tears? The Teapot Dome? The Gilded Age? The Palmer raids? The Great Depression? The Red Scare? The Vietnam War? Corporate greed and overreach? The invasion of Iraq?

Should we ignore the current state of our politics? The polarization? The growing chasm between the billionaires and the rest of us? The decline of the working class? The rise of dark money? A spineless Congress? A callous Supreme Court? The virtual disappearance of political civility and constructive compromise? The rising federal debt? Our failure to address future threats?

How about our current administration? The deluge of inept lackeys? The brazen self-dealing and rampant corruption? The impetuous tariffs? Inflation? The ugly nativism and racism? The seizure and detention of American citizens? The murder of international aid programs? The phony bravado and senseless wars? The revulsion to environmental safeguards. The rising debt and fiscal mismanagement?

As Bret Stephens, a conservative columnist for the New York Times, recently wrote, “If you love America, now is the time to cringe for it.”

Some of us—especially those who did not cast a vote for Trump—may disown him, but he is our president, too. Everything that Trump does—his vanity, his thirst for vengeance, his desecration of public assets, his bloated budget, his abuse of global allies, his ill-conceived wars, his insensitivity to ordinary Americans—reflects on all of us. Perhaps Stephens was right. We all bear some responsibility for America’s inexplicable determination to become “the global equivalent of the expensively dressed man soiling his pants at a cocktail party.”

Still, loving a nation, much like loving a person, requires the honesty to face problems, the grace to forgive failings and the fortitude to help solve those problems. To love America, we must accept its past and dedicate ourselves to making it better.

If we look past the current cast of con artists and miscreants in Washington DC, there is much to celebrate. The Constitution, Bill of Rights and religious freedom (for now). The abolition of slavery, the welcoming of immigrants, the defeat of fascism and communism, the Marshall Plan, the United Nations, the fight for civil rights, the National Parks System and environmental safeguards. The proud byproducts of American ingenuity, tenacity and cooperation, like the Erie Canal, mass production, aviation, the interstate highway system, space exploration, the internet, and medical breakthroughs like vaccines.

Finally, there is our nation’s extraordinary potential. As memorialized in the Declaration of Independence signed 250 years ago, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all people, regardless of background. Equality of opportunity and responsibility for all.

The American idea is a promise that, while never fully realized, remains worth keeping. Let us celebrate that promise and the hope that we will find a way to fulfill it for all Americans.