Brich: What unites us

On July 4, 2026, the United States marks its 250th birthday. Two and a half centuries after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Americans have a chance to reflect not only on where we have been, but also on where we are headed.
This comes at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. Across the country, political division dominates conversations, headlines and social media feeds. Families avoid certain topics around the dinner table. Neighbors who once shared backyard barbecues now hesitate to discuss current events. Too often, disagreement has become distrust, and differing opinions are treated as personal attacks instead of opportunities for discussion.
The nation’s semiquincentennial arrives at a moment when many Americans wonder whether the country is more divided than ever.
History offers the important reminder that America has faced deep divisions before.The colonies themselves were far from united during the Revolutionary War. Roughly one third of colonists supported independence, one third remained loyal to Britain and many simply wanted to stay out of the conflict. The Civil War nearly tore the nation apart. Political battles during Reconstruction, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and countless elections have revealed sharp disagreements over the direction of the country.
Division is not new. What has changed is how quickly disagreement can spread and deepen. Modern technology allows opinions to travel instantly. Social media algorithms often reward outrage instead of understanding. Cable news and online platforms frequently attract audiences who already agree with their view-points, making it easier for people to live inside ideological bubbles.
As a result, Americans sometimes know more about why they dislike those on the other side than they do about the people who actually live next door.
That reality should concern all of us.
The Declaration of Independence speaks of unalienable rights and government deriving its powers from the consent of the governed.
The Constitution begins with three simple but powerful words, “We the People.”
Those words include every American regardless of political party or independent status.
The founders themselves disagreed, sometimes passionately. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton clashed over the role of government. John Adams and Jefferson became bitter political rivals before eventually reconciling through years of thoughtful correspondence. Debate was expected. Disagreement was inevitable.
The goal was never unanimous agreement. The goal was to create a system where free people could disagree without destroying the republic.
It remains the challenge today.
America’s 250th birthday should not be an occasion to pretend the nation is perfect. It has never been. The country’s history includes extraordinary achievements alongside painful failures. It tells stories of expanding freedom while also confronting injustice. Both realities deserve acknowledgment.
Patriotism does not require believing America has always gotten everything right.
Instead, patriotism means believing the nation is worth improving.
That improvement de-pends on citizens who are willing to listen as much as they speak. It requires recognizing that people with different political beliefs often want many of the same outcomes, including safe communities, good schools, economic opportunity, affordable health care, secure borders, personal freedoms and a better future for their children. They simply disagree about the best path to reach those goals.
Those disagreements are important. Elections are important. Public policy is important.
But democracy depends on something even more important. It depends on the willingness to accept that our political opponents are fellow Americans rather than enemies.
This anniversary is opportunity to remember that America’s greatest strength has never been complete agreement. It has been the ability to bring together people from different backgrounds, faiths, cultures and viewpoints under a shared commitment to constitutional government and the rule of law.
That commitment has carried the nation through wars, economic crises, terrorist attacks, pandemics and countless moments of uncertainty.
It can carry us through today’s political polarization as well.
The responsibility does not belong only to elected officials or national leaders. It belongs to each of us.
It begins in local communities.
It happens when neighbors volunteer together regardless of political affiliation. It happens when parents cheer for the same Little League team. It happens when communities gather for county fairs, parades, church dinners, school concerts and Memorial Day ceremonies. In those moments, Americans are reminded that citizenship is about more than voting every few years.
It is about building communities together.
Small towns often demonstrates this better than anyone. In many communities, people who cast different ballots still serve on volunteer fire departments, coach youth sports, organize food drives and help each other after storms. They understand something that is easy to forget in national politics. Relationships matter more than party labels.
Perhaps that is one lesson worth celebrating during America’s 250th birthday.
The next generation is watching. Children learn about citizenship not only from textbooks, but also from the examples adults set every day. If they see only anger, insults and contempt, they may conclude that democracy itself is broken. But if they witness respectful debate, civic involvement and neighbors helping neighbors despite political differences, they will understand that democracy is strengthened by engaged citizens who treat one another with dignity.
The founders could never have imagined today’s technology, economy or global challenges. Yet they understood something timeless. Self government requires self discipline. Freedom survives only when citizens are willing to place the common good alongside their personal convictions.
As fireworks light the sky this Fourth of July and communities commemorate 250 years of American independence, perhaps the greatest tribute we can offer is not simply celebrating the past.
It is recommitting ourselves to the principles that made the nation possible in the first place, including liberty, equality under the law, representative government, civil discourse and mutual respect.
The United States has endured for 250 years not because Americans have always agreed, but because enough of them believed the experiment in self government was worth preserving.
That experiment now belongs to all of us.
The question is not whether we will disagree. We will.
The question is whether, despite those disagreements, we will continue choosing to be one nation that is imperfect, diverse, argumentative and resilient while working together toward a more perfect union.
If America’s first 250 years have taught us anything, it is that our greatest achievements have come not when we thought alike, but when we remembered we belonged to the same country.
That is a something worth  celebrating and a legacy worth protecting.