America at 250: Who Are We?

As we approach our 250^th Independence Day, America is perhaps more divided, and certainly more diverse, than ever before. We have always thought of ourselves as a big diverse melting pot, but truthfully until recently America was overwhelmingly white and Christian. Demographically, that is less and less true every day. And now divisions over religion, ideology, and identity have opened deep chasms in our society. We are not united by race, faith, history, or culture. So, who are we?

There is actually a definitive answer to that question. Americans are, and always will be, the children of the enlightenment.

Over 300 years ago, European philosophers began to challenge the absolute authority of the two institutions that had governed human affairs for centuries: monarchy and the church. They argued that human beings were born free, and that government must come from the consent of the governed.

John Locke said all people had a fundamental right to “life, liberty, and property.” The Baron de Montesquieu talked of the need for a separation of powers within a government to prevent tyranny. And Voltaire was a savage critic of monarchy, aristocracy, and state mandated religion.

Our founders were not simple farmers. They were highly educated political thinkers and leaders who studied the works of these enlightenment age philosophers. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Mason, did not create our founding documents out of whole cloth. They drew on their enlightenment predecessors in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, The Virginia Declaration of Rights, and the Constitutions of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

They created something unique in human history, a nation-state not based on nationality or ancient borders. A country not defined by blood and soil but rather based on an idea, a creed:

“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.”

That’s it. That’s who we are.

Race, religion, ethnicity, identity, political philosophy, none of that makes you an American or disqualifies you from being an America. It is the creed that counts. And it is why President Reagan was able to say this about American exceptionalism:

“A man wrote me and said: ‘You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey or Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk, or a Japanese. But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American’.”

For most of our history most Americans have held these truths to be self-evident. But today Donald Trump and his America First/MAGA movement reject them. They reject the need for separation of powers and argue that Article II of the Constitution gives the President unchecked authority. They reject the separation of church and state. And most importantly they reject pluralism, respect for diversity, and the message engraved on the Statue of Liberty.

They mean it when they say they are for America First. But their version of America is nativist, protectionist, isolationist, and borders on outright Christian nationalism. Thankfully, they are failing in their quest to transform America, and they are failing for two reasons.

First, the Declaration of Independence was just a statement, but the Constitution carries the force of law, and it is replete with enlightenment inspired protections. The Bill of Rights and the 14^th amendment guarantee our basic rights, including due process and equal protection under the law. And the Constitutional structure of checks and balances has prevented Trump from becoming the dictator he longs to be.

Over and over again the courts have struck down Trump’s worst ideas. They have denied him the ability to engage in mass deportation without due process. They have struck down his insane tariffs. And Congress has refused to give him the power he wants over our election system and is now beginning to push back on his conduct as Commander in Chief. The system hasn’t functioned perfectly, or quickly, but for the most part the guardrails have held.

More importantly, the values embodied in the Constitution are so deep in the American consciousness that no wannabe dictator can openly defy them. Even Trump knows there are lines he can’t cross. He flirts with authoritarianism but always backs down in the end. The tree of liberty has sunk its roots very deep in American soil.

We are nearing the end of an era that has put our system to the test. It has been ugly and painful. But we will survive because MAGA is no match for the enduring power of the enlightenment and the American revolution.

So go ahead and enjoy our national celebration without remorse or regret. We can still be proud of America and all we have accomplished. We are and always will be the Shining City on a Hill. Happy 4^th!