On this year’s Independence Day, communities across the country are encouraged to participate in events for America250, a year-long celebration to mark our nation’s historic quarter millennial on July 4, 2026. Reflecting on American history will help us see where we’ve been, where we are today and where we’re headed.

Consider the stone-cold courage of the 18th century patriots whose signatures on the Declaration of Independence effectively put a death warrant on their heads from King George III. The birth of a new nation was launched on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia when 56 delegates to the Continental Congress adopted this trailblazing charter of freedom.

The previous year, George Washington took command of a ragtag army of colonists to defeat the mighty British military with sheer grit, bravery and resilience. After waging eight years on the battlefield during the Revolutionary War, this extraordinary victory stitched a proud and patriotic thread through the DNA of America’s sons and daughters for generations that followed.

From the Battles of Lexington and Concord to the Battle of Gettysburg, through D-Day and the Tet Offensive, Cold War and Global War on Terrorism, nine generations of men and women in uniform have put their lives on the line to fight tyranny and secure peace and prosperity through strength.

What sowed the seeds of rebellion?

The American colonists were fed up with the British Crown controlling their lives and livelihoods through imperial rule. This, combined with the radical concept of natural rights enshrined in our nation’s founding charter, provided justification for our separation from the mother country. The preamble declares the 13 colonies’ separation from the British monarchy.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

These rights are not granted by government, they are inherent to human existence. That is why America is unique in human history. Our nation was founded upon an idea. The common thread that unites Americans is not rooted in ethnicity, race, creed or royal blood lines. It is rooted in liberty. Our 249-year experiment has propelled the United States of America to become the world’s greatest superpower, biggest economy and mightiest military.

For centuries, the quest to achieve the American Dream has encouraged innovators and risk takers to start a business, own a home, buy property and work hard to get ahead and stay ahead. The American way of life beckons people from around the world, galvanizing neighbors and strangers alike to seek the promise of prosperity bound by freedom and the rule of law. Economic freedom and individual rights are a potent combination that has unleashed an American odyssey of discovery in technology, space, agriculture, medicine, the arts, communication, transportation and more.

Why is it important to connect

history with today’s society?

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense extolled the virtues of self-rule and how “the cause of America is in great measure the cause of all mankind.” His 47-page pamphlet inspired colonial America to declare independence and change the course of history.

I’m not suggesting our American experiment is wart-free. For over two centuries, we’ve drawn on our founding principles as we strived to form a more perfect union. The Union’s victory over the Confederacy paved the way for the Reconstruction amendments, including the 13th amendment abolishing slavery. A century later, the Civil Rights Movement continued the march to equality under the law. We also must never forget the Holocaust and the prejudice that sanctioned the genocide of six million European Jews in the mid-20th century. Thanks to members of the Greatest Generation, America’s Armed Forces led our allies to liberate Europe and end a world war. Eight decades later, we’re witnessing a resurgence of antisemitism, a stark reminder to never forget history or ignore human nature.

I’m often asked about polarization and division in American society. Whether at my county meetings, in the halls of Congress or on podcasts connecting elected leaders with the people we represent, I give the same answer. I have great hope in America. We’ve survived wars, natural disasters, pandemics and economic crises. The resilience of America stems from 249 years of self-government, the concept President Lincoln memorialized in the Gettysburg Address.

“This nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from this earth.”

The Fourth of July is a rite of summertime with community celebrations, parades and fireworks. Families and friends gather at the lake, pool and backyard to enjoy good food and good company. As we celebrate Independence Day, let’s keep America250 in mind to remember why all Americans have cause to celebrate and to honor the sacrifices of those who’ve left America better than they found it.

——-

Charles Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford,

represents Iowa in the United States Senate.