The Fourth of July is an event we have been celebrating for 250 years now, but in recent times some have come to ask “is America really worth celebrating?”
That question is not without merit, as public sentiment has been quite negative recently. Confidence in the “American Dream” has faltered, according to a poll by Gallup, with over a third of those polled saying they do not believe everyone has the opportunity to achieve it.
And who can blame them for thinking so? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of energy went up 24% year-over-year this May and consumer prices were up 4.2% overall. With some struggling to keep their lights on and food on their plates, calling America the “land of opportunity” sometimes feels like making a bad joke.
Beyond economic challenges, confidence in our democratic institutions has been waning as well. 64% of respondents to a poll by Reuters said that American democracy is at risk of failing. This is not especially surprising as both Congress’ and President Trump’s approval numbers are abysmally low. Regardless, this is a wound that cuts especially deep as we are supposed to be a beacon of democracy.
According to Pew Research Center, only 29% of Americans are satisfied with the current state of our country overall, and more than half believe our best times are behind us. This leads to the celebrations surrounding our 250th year of independence feeling a bit melancholic, seemingly born of nostalgia for an America that no longer exists. Despite this, I still hold onto hope for our future.
It is my belief that our nation’s greatest characteristic is its capacity to be changed. The America of 1776 bears little resemblance to the America we live in today, as we have constantly strived to achieve the “more perfect union” our founders aspired to when writing our Constitution. We have fought against injustice time and time again with various movements such as those for abolition, suffrage and civil rights.
These events demonstrate that we have the ability to change this nation through many avenues such as protesting, contacting our elected officials, running for office and, most importantly, voting. The only entity that can strip us of this power is ourselves by giving in to the temptation to become disaffected, acquiescing to the status quo.
Fighting against this temptation is not easy, but it is vital that we do so if we wish to preserve the ideals that bind us together as Americans. Ken Burns, the director and co-producer of the award winning documentary “The American Revolution,” said in an interview with 60 Minutes, “…democracy and self-governance requires our constant attention.”
Change is always possible, no matter how dire things may seem. Ultimately, we decide what the America of tomorrow will look like and that fact alone makes the Fourth of July worth celebrating.
