America at 250 is unlike America at 200. Fifty years ago, I was just a teenager and remember the turmoil of the mid-1970s. It wasn’t just the bell-bottoms and wide collars, the disco music, or the focus on all things red, white, and blue that made it an odd time. The nation was also healing from the Vietnam War, the Watergate affair, and an energy crisis. My father had just opened his business in 1972. When he came home from work in the evenings, the rise and fall of the economy dictated the tenor around the dinner table. From an early age, I learned that what goes up must come down. Thankfully, the opposite was true, too, but it didn’t happen on cue. They were not halcyon days.

Fifty years later, on the 250th anniversary of our nation, there are still serious problems facing our nation. But fifty years since teenage angst about the future—especially in anticipation of the 21st century—gave way to reality and responsibility. The reality of our times is clear. National and world issues are impacting all of us, whether we are up or down or somewhere in between. Fifty years have also taught me that every generation, not just the Greatest Generation, has a duty to this nation. That has never changed.

Our duty is reflected in what we already know. A nation like ours is “of the people, by the people, [and] for the people” (Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863). It is ours. If it will remain ours, then our duty is not only to reap the rewards of reaching these shores or winning the genetic lottery to have been born here, but to accept the responsibilities of our generation in these times to foster a future worthy of us.

If we want what we’ve had, even in its imperfections, then we must still advocate for and vote to maintain it. Though not American, Winston Churchill famously said in his speech to Parliament in 1947, “No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Even if we haven’t experienced it personally, we’ve learned from those who have that other forms of government, though temporarily tolerant of us and other minorities, are nothing like a democracy to represent us all.

In the 1970s, my parents modeled for our family how to participate in a representative government. In the suburb where we lived, they campaigned with others for their favored candidate to be president, they participated in getting out the vote, and when asked by a reporter to explain what their role meant to them, their picture with their words appeared in the local paper. In those days, that was instant celebrity for at least a week until the next issue of the local paper was delivered.

Some things never change. We still hope and fear for the future. And our role in campaigning, getting out the vote, and advocating for our democracy continues unabated. Long ago, even President Ronald Reagan, a staunch Republican, and Thomas “Tip” O’Neill, a true-blue Democratic Speaker of the House, made agreements in the interest of the nation and, long after business hours ended, shared a friendship built on mutual respect and common courtesy. The difference, today, is how intractable elected leaders have become over issues that are dividing us and turning us against each other.

In the past, the risk impacted the nation until such time that a correction occurred from changes in the economy, social trends, or world affairs. We seemed to move as a nation to the right or the left or, at best, somewhere in the middle. There was also a general sense that familiar American norms and aspirations would guide us to better times for all Americans. When my father came home concerned about the economy, he wasn’t without hope. We were reared on the American dream that everyone had a stake in a bright future here. The difference now is that some are on opposite ends and too few are willing or able to cede anything to meet anywhere in the middle.

If we’re students of history and heritage, then it should concern us that such strident positions are unsustainable. In 1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked by Elizabeth Willing Powel what type of government was formed by the Constitutional Convention. Famously, he replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Every history teacher has since taught students that a democracy demands active civic participation to survive. It’s not that we can’t tolerate shifts to the left or the right or even stand against each other for a time; it’s that the decision which way we will go and how we will get there relies on the will of the people who assemble to campaign for their representatives, advocate for their causes, and show up to vote.

On July 4, 2026, my wife and I went to the Houston Astros game and to watch the fireworks from our stadium seats. What could be more American on such an auspicious day in our country’s history? The only thing missing was apple pie. The next thing we need to do to honor the Founders of our nation and the promise that is ours as Americans is to advocate for democracy and vote. For we are the people.

L’Shalom,