The United States has long been described as one of history’s most ambitious democratic experiments – not because its democracy has been flawless, but because it rests on a bold proposition: that a diverse people can govern themselves through liberty, representative government and the rule of law rather than the will of a single ruler. As the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, that experiment continues to evolve and be tested.
The Founders created a constitutional system influenced by European political philosophy, including John Locke’s principle that every person has the right to “life, liberty and property,” together with the colonies’ experience in self-government. They deliberately dispersed power among competing institutions. Congress writes the laws, the president enforces them, and the courts interpret them. Federalism further divides authority between the national and state governments. Each institution checks the others because concentrating power threatens liberty.
John Adams recognized democracy’s vulnerability, warning, “Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.” He also wrote that “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people,” emphasizing that freedom depends not only on constitutional design but also on an informed and engaged citizenry willing to hold leaders accountable.
America is often called the “melting pot” because its culture has been shaped by people from across the world. Emma Lazarus’ poem The New Colossus, inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, famously welcomes immigrants: “Give me your tired, your poor; Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” From generations willing to embrace a new nation, America grew into the most powerful country the world has known. Since World War II, it has been admired for its personal freedoms, innovation, technological achievements and the promise that each generation can build a better future than the last.
America’s constitutional democracy has been shaped by defining moments over the past 250 years. The Declaration of Independence established the nation’s founding ideals, and the Constitution created its framework of government. The Civil War preserved the Union and ended slavery. The Nineteenth Amendment expanded voting rights to women. The New Deal redefined the federal government’s role during economic crisis. After World War II, the U.S. helped shape the international order through institutions including NATO. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation and employment discrimination, Apollo 11 demonstrated American innovation, and the Sept. 11 attacks reshaped national security and foreign policy.
America has never fully lived up to its ideals. Its history includes the oppression of Native Americans, slavery, segregation, discrimination and periods of deep political division. Today, widening economic disparities continue to threaten the American Dream. Yet progress has repeatedly come through constitutional amendments, legislation, litigation, civic engagement and peaceful protest rather than abandoning democratic institutions. The American experiment has endured because We the People have repeatedly chosen reform over resignation.
This week we celebrate 250 years of the American story under the cloud of the Trump presidency, which has continued to challenge longstanding constitutional norms by expanding executive authority, restructuring federal agencies, reshaping the civil service, pursuing aggressive immigration policies, and undermining voting rights. Disregarding promises made on the campaign trail, Trump’s actions in office have concentrated executive power, weakened the separation of powers, and undermined constitutional checks and balances at the expense of the American people, while consolidating his personal power and growing rich coffers.
The challenge facing Americans today is whether they will continue to value the institutions that make self-government possible or allow the Trump administration to undermine the will of the people. Democracy depends on accepting certified election results, resolving disputes through constitutional processes, respecting judicial independence, defending a free press, protecting peaceful dissent and insisting that no public official is above the law. These principles should never depend on which political party holds power.
The health of American democracy will ultimately be determined not only by presidents, judges, or members of Congress but by whether citizens remain informed, engaged and willing to defend constitutional principles – even when doing so requires criticizing leaders they support or accepting judicial decisions they dislike.
Nearly 250 years after independence, John Adams’ warning remains as relevant as ever. Freedom cannot be taken for granted. This Fourth of July, that responsibility belongs to We the People. Celebrate the accomplishments of our forefathers and foremothers while accepting the challenge that America’s future greatness rests on our shoulders – and those of our children.
Paul N. Black, PhD and Concetta C. DiRusso, PhD spent 35 years as biomedical scientists and are Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Black is a Fellow of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and DiRusso served as a Jefferson Science Fellow working with USAID. They reside in Durango.