America’s 250th Anniversary: Liberty, Gratitude, and the Founding Principles

Despite all our present problems and challenges, aggravated by so many daunting divisions, how awed, thrilled, and grateful our Founding Fathers would be to see just how extraordinarily well our republic has done over the last quarter-millennium. They were not sure if we could even survive as a nation at all, and we have certainly suffered through many terrible trials of economic depression, political and social upheaval, wars, world wars, a Cold War, and even a War Between the States. Yet, guided by our founding principles (and their faith-based origins), the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution, we have not only survived but thrived in a manner unprecedented in history. We are just four percent of the world’s people, but we have an outsized impact on the rest of this planet.

Economically, though we are but one of nearly 200 nations, we make up about a fourth of the world’s economy. Most U.S. dollars are abroad; in fact, about 30 nations and colonies use it as official currency. The rest of the world hopes our economy does well because we are their top export market. Even our poorest state, Mississippi, has a higher GDP than the United Kingdom, France, Italy, or Spain. In fact, most Americans are in the top one percent of the world’s income-earners.

A huge global influence we have is our popular culture which has long been our top dollar export: movies, TV programs, the internet, music, Coca-Cola, blue jeans, fast food, etc. In 1986, the French Marxist Regis Debray predicted we would win the Cold War because “There is more power in rock music, videos, blue jeans, fast food, news networks, and TV satellites than in the entire Red Army.”

But the ideas behind America remain our greatest influence: freedom, equality, democracy, private property, justice, and altruism. As Margaret Thatcher understood, “Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy.” We understand that all rights come from God, and our Constitution guarantees that our government must respect and protect them. By far the safest country in which to be any kind of minority is America because our Constitution protects equally the individual rights of all U.S. citizens. 

No nation has a tradition of charity that can remotely rival ours. No nation has given so much economic, technological, and philanthropic help to the rest of the world. More than any other country, we have maintained our Judeo-Christian commitment to honoring the sacred value of every child of God. 

No wonder folks all over the world vote with their feet to come to America as a “shining city on a hill.” From 1620 to 1858, 388,000 black Africans were brought to the present-day U.S. on slave ships. But, just since 2000, 3.2 million black African immigrants have freely chosen to move here because, as a Nigerian told me, America “is the closest to a perfect country” due to all its great opportunities. In fact, the average median home income of Nigerian-Americans is over $5,000 higher than the average American’s. This is just one of the very many reasons why immigration involving America is all one way.    

With all our bountiful blessings, we should recall how the Book of Luke instructs that “For

those unto much has been given, much is required.” Precisely because we Americans live in the most free, democratic, rich, powerful, and blessed nation in history, we must use these blessings wisely, justly, and always morally, here and abroad.

Of course, this does not always happen. Despite our history and principles, government still has an inappropriate impact on too many aspects of our lives. Our elected public officials have a terrible ability to restrict freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly, and so much more – and they often choose unwisely. Look at just the enormous economic impact of government on all our lives via taxes, government jobs, government contracts, regulations, spending, interest rates, loans, education, and thousands of other public policies. 

Witness our growing national nanny state cracking down on personal freedoms. Did we really need the 2020-21 lockdowns over the Corona Virus? Some governors and mayors even banned church attendance. Look at the “hate speech” movement, especially on college and now even grade school campuses. Now almost all states have “hate crimes” laws — paging George Orwell’s 1984. How scared so many Americans have become even to be honest in public regarding any controversial issue in light of all the many reputations, careers, friends, and even families lost due to “cancel culture.”

Liberty has perhaps never faced as many or more powerful enemies in the U.S. as today, first and foremost being those in power. We have lost an enormous amount of our freedom via spiraling taxes and government regulations – and to think we fought a revolution largely over a three-cent-a-pound tax on tea. (News flash: Britain’s King George III never taxed, regulated, or policed us remotely as much as “Fedzilla” does today.) 

But, inspired by our faith, Constitution, and history, we can see to it that the ship is righted. It is as dedicated, hard-working individuals that we will either protect or lose what the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. hailed as “the sacred heritage of our nation.”

And every single one of us has a far greater impact on others than we will ever know.

Many years ago, at the funeral of an 80-year-old WWII veteran, in lieu of a eulogy, the pastor asked the departed’s friends to come forward and share how Sandy Head had positively impacted their lives. I knew Sandy as a brother volunteer at Athens, Georgia’s Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, but I had no idea what an amazing life that man led, touching so many lives in so many helpful ways. One after another, people spoke of how “Sandy gave me a place to stay when I went through a rough patch in my marriage,” “Sandy did this for me,” “Sandy did that.” I sat there mesmerized, not even knowing most of these folks from Adam, because it turned out that this little-known gentleman, who we will never read about in a history book, had immeasurably enriched the lives of an enormous number of people. Truly, his really was a wonderful life. And what felt like the fastest church service of my life lasted almost two hours. When the final mourner sat down, the minister said, “You see, you see? Every single one of us is a role model – for better or worse – in everything we do and everything we don’t, in everything we say, and everything we leave unsaid. Yes, we all impact far more people than we will ever realize – for better or worse.”

So, during this 250th year commemorating the Declaration of Independence, may all of us grateful for our American heritage stand tall with confidence and good cheer, rejoicing to be part of such a heroic people, flawed sinners like everyone but, as William Faulkner told us, “You don’t love because: you love despite; not for the virtues, but despite the faults.” Let us utilize our record opportunities to the fullest and never forget we are Americans. Let us work hard to promote our values and recall a few good words from President John F. Kennedy: “With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own. 

May God continue to bless the United States of America, and may we always be worthy of His blessing.

Source: https://libertarianchristians.com/2026/07/10/americas-250th-anniversary-liberty-gratitude-and-the-founding-principles/