why 250 matters

As July 4, 2026 draws to a close and the early hours of July 5 approach, I ponder how important this day was for us as a nation. Scrolling through social media, I saw a post that said, "Many of us won't be waving flags or watching fireworks. Not because we hate our country, but because we love it too much to pretend everything is fine."

That made me incredibly sad.

If you're waiting for us to be a perfect nation, you will be waiting a very long time. We have never been nor will ever be perfect. There will never be a moment in time when everyone agrees on everything. That's not how humanity works.

Celebrating America 250 is not about agreeing with everything that's going on in our country. It's not about the current President or how you feel about their administration. It's about remembering 250 years of trials and triumphs that created America. I watched Jenna Bush Hager interview the four living former Presidents this morning on NBC and I was pleasantly surprised by the tone of unity that carried through all four interviews.

Regardless of how you feel about the four living Presidents (Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden), they served this country by sitting in the highest office for four to eight years. They endured both positive and negative press, personal scandal, national tragedies, an international pandemic, and constant public scrutiny for not just themselves but their families all in the attempt to do their part to keep our country great and free.

Obama said in his interview that "Hope arises in the face of difficulty...in American history, we've gone through rough patches, and we tend to come out of them on the other side stronger." As the first African American President, he is the embodiment of how far this country has come in civil rights. We went from not allowing Black people to drink from the same water fountains as Whites to electing a Black man to the presidency all between one or two generations.

"One of the things about 250 is it's a chance to focus on the common good and the wonders of this country," Bush told his daughter. "I'm not worried about the long-term health of this country because I've studied enough history to know that we have been through moments of intense anger and intense rivalry of ideas, but the beauty of democracy is it's self-correcting. I encourage citizens to participate in the process. If you don't like what's going on, vote. That's how America heals itself."

President Bush led the country through one of its darkest chapters after 9/11, but he witnessed the greatness of America in the aftermath. The unity that overwhelmed us in the days after that horrific attack made us proud to be Americans.

President Clinton talked about a letter left to him in the White House by George H.W. Bush as he was transitioning out of the role of President. "I wish you well," Bush wrote to Clinton, "because you're all our President now. Your success is America's success." Clinton went on to say that he left a similar note for George W. Bush in 2000 when their transition took place. A Republican encouraging an incoming Democrat President who turned around and passed the encouragement on to the next Republican President.

"America is bigger than anyone's personal hopes and dreams," Clinton said in his interview. Not to use a cliche phrase but basically, "IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!" That doesn't mean that individuals don't matter because of course they do, but as a country, everything we work toward should be for the empowerment of everyone. All men are created equal.

My favorite part of the interviews was when Bush mentioned his friendly bond with Michelle Obama. The video clip of them at the state funeral for Sen. John McCain when Bush handed Michelle an Altoid went viral and inspired millions who watched the interaction. Bush emphasized that it shouldn't be an odd thing to see a white Republican former President and an African American Democrat former First Lady get along, joke together, or even forge a friendship. These little interactions between American citizens can make all the difference in how we treat one another and how our country is reflected to the rest of the world.

I study history for a reason. The purpose of this blog is tell the stories of those who came before us. That's probably why my favorite quote came from President Bush when he said, "Study our history so you can be better prepared for the future." Know where we came from! Know our mistakes so we don't make them again. Know our success stories so we can strive for more of them in the future.

America 250 matters. To every American regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. Happy Fourth of July to all my readers and Happy 250th to America. Thank you for the history and here's to another 250 years of progress, growth, and unity.

Thanks for caring 🫶