The Philadelphia Declaration, and celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
Is that a misprint in the title? Didn’t I mean 2025, you ask?
No, I meant 2026.
Everybody knows that New Year’s resolutions often come in one year and then out another. But if there’s one above all that I hope you will make this week and keep, it is this: Start getting involved in next year’s 250th anniversary of America. Consider creating materials, commentary, projects, and events that encourage new audiences to appreciate the timeless truth of America’s founding ideals.
When the Founders signed the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, they fired a second shot heard around the world, more resonant than the famous one at Lexington the year before. It launched a new nation and offered a vision for the future with these stirring words:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
The Founders knew what they did was a beginning, not an end. America would always be an unfinished project, forever on the path to a more perfect union.
That is what good people of solid character do: they honor the best and make it even better. They don’t toss the wisdom and sacrifices of their ancestors to the wind in favor of expediency or flawed ideologies. They were building on and improving the ideas of liberty, as the basis for a nation.
The 250th anniversary of America is a unique opportunity to refresh and unite. We should not wait another year to begin planning for it. That’s why I urge readers to resolve now to make the most of it. In the coming months, we at FEE will write more about ideas, projects, and events you might choose to get involved with to note the anniversary—as well as activities individuals can undertake on their own. I am proud to inform readers here about one such undertaking: The Philadelphia Declaration.
In April 2024, nearly 50 individuals from various organizations gathered to reach a consensus. We represented diverse perspectives and backgrounds but shared a devotion to liberty. Some participants were secular in their outlook; for others, like me, faith was important. As the Founders did, we set those and other differences aside to focus on the big picture. We met in Philadelphia to express our commitment to sharing the ideas of liberty expressed so eloquently 250 years ago in that same city.
Why? Because ideas matter. Good ones must be fostered and bad ones opposed. A nation that does not know the best of its history or principles is a nation adrift, its future uncertain, if not ominous. A signature anniversary is the perfect time to call attention to the good ideas that have united us before and can do so again.
The group driving this effort is housed at Donors Trust and is called The Free Society Coalition. The Philadelphia Declaration casts a wide net of partner groups and people who can come together around shared values. We do not see ourselves hemmed in by the conventional “left/right” dichotomy. We are champions of free and peaceful individuals as firmly as we are opponents of divisive “identity politics” and “group-think” collectivism from wherever they emanate.
Americans, we believe, are ready to come together. Many of us are tired of polarizing politics and harshly negative rhetoric. For the 250th anniversary of the country, let’s pause to reflect on what America was to be all about from the start. That doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything, but maybe The Philadelphia Declaration can dial down the divisiveness by illuminating some fundamentals on which most of us can agree.
Please read The Philadelphia Declaration. A link to the text in its entirety appears below. If you find yourself in agreement—total or substantial—then consider ways to acquaint others with it, to stimulate discussion, and to excite fellow citizens about next year’s important and historic anniversary.
Also below are some suggestions for action, including a link to “16 Things Individuals Can Do To Help Bring America Together.” From time to time over the next 18 months, we’ll offer many more in these pages.
Text of The Philadelphia Declaration
Suggestions for action:
Email Felisa Blazek at [email protected] to receive updates on progress with projects and opportunities, and information on The Free Society Coalition website that will be launched soon.
Share this article widely on social media and via emails to friends and colleagues. Express your interest and invite them to similarly reply to receive updates, and invite others to engage with the effort.
Send Felisa updates on what you’ve done or plan to help with materials and initiatives to spread the word and engage others. Watch for updates here at FEE.org.
Additional Reading:
Anti-Force Is the Common Denominator by Lawrence W. Reed
The Real Fourth of July: What Made America’s Independence Day Truly Revolutionary by Dan Sanchez
What Thomas Jefferson Meant by the Pursuit of Happiness by Barry Brownstein
16 Things Individuals Can Do to Help Bring America Together by Lawrence W. Reed
