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As America approaches its semiquincentennial, a fierce argument has broken out over our nation’s true origin — the Declaration of Independence in 1776 or the tragic arrival of enslaved Africans in 1619. Patriots who love this country know the Declaration of Independence and the principles it set forth are the operative founding moment that created a republic rooted in liberty and individual rights. America250 is organizing nationwide events to mark the 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, and that celebration should remind Americans why our nation was founded and what keeps it strong.
The intellectual project that began with the New York Times’ 1619 essays argues for reframing the American story around slavery, a project that its proponents say exposes long-ignored injustices. Conservatives respectfully reject treating our entire national identity as a single, unbroken indictment; the 1619 narrative risks reducing millions of Americans to historical victims and twisting complex history into ideology. We should teach the full truth about slavery and its horrors, but not allow that suffering to be used as a cudgel to delegitimize the founding principles that made eventual progress possible.
On the other side, conservative scholars and officials have pushed back with their own account emphasizing 1776, creating initiatives to promote patriotic education and defend the founders against what they see as slander. The 1776 Commission and its report were born from that pushback, an effort to restore pride and context in classrooms rather than accept a one-sided narrative that fuels division. Americans who believe in opportunity and the rule of law see this as a fight for the soul of civic education, because a confident republic teaches young people to improve America rather than despair of it.
The politics of the semiquincentennial have only sharpened the dispute, with congressional hearings this year where Democrats accused the administration of trying to hijack the national celebration and skew the narrative. That controversy underscores a simple truth: when history becomes a political battleground, the people lose and the ideologues win. Conservatives should expect — and insist on — honest stewardship of our national story, not efforts to monetize, politicize, or weaponize the anniversary for partisan ends.
President Trump issued an executive order in January 2025 directing federal agencies to coordinate a celebration of America’s 250th birthday, a move that shows the administration intends to make the anniversary a tribute to American achievement and resilience. Conservatives welcome a national commemoration that celebrates our founding ideals, honors service, and encourages civic pride rather than indulging in endless national self-flagellation. The semiquincentennial should be an opportunity for renewal, not a national therapy session led by revisionists who treat our founding as a stain rather than a starting point for progress.
Hardworking Americans deserve a history that inspires them to build, serve, and improve their communities, not a curriculum that teaches cynicism about the country itself. If 1776 stands for anything, it is the radical idea that ordinary people can govern themselves and pursue liberty — an idea worth defending against those who would reduce our complex story to grievance. As the nation marks its 250th year, conservatives must lead in insisting that history be taught honestly, patriotically, and with an eye toward the future we want to hand to our children.
