Washington DC—If the last 18 months have taught us anything about the United States, it feels much more divided than in living memory. There are obvious signs that this country’s democratic experiment is melting in its armored checks and balances. Its machinery is grinding and sounds like it’s breaking apart.
Many things are going wrong with the country and it is apparent to most every American what the effects are even if Americans cannot agree on the reasons for them. Americans have never completely agreed on anything unless in Congress they were voting to go to war.
For one, government leadership is focusing on building its own wealth and power while cutting the American workforce out of the windfalls of its own labor. It is permitting the conglomeration of most media and entertainment companies with slanted points of view, eliminating any views contrary to it. Oddball on and off tariff policies, disparaging judicial rulings against its policies, attacking political rivals with unjust charges, starting another unjustified forever-war in the Middle East, are some of the indicators of a government gone amok from its “for the people and by the people” charter. Its attacks against one of the America’s most vital sources of progress and productivity—its immigrant population—are but a few of the factors taking the U.S. from a leader and beacon of democracy, to a diminished country feared and reviled by much of the rest of the Western world.
The country began preparing for its semiquincentennial over 10 years ago with a congressional allocation of funding for its 250th year National State Fair and performances. ‘America 250’ was envisioned as a non-partisan event but the administration took over and reorganized the venue into ‘Freedom 250’ and politicized it. This resulted in many of the top performers and some States to back out of the event entirely. Currently there are suspicions of wire fraud due to misleading information about who was organizing the event.
So many have stayed away from the National State Fair on the National Mall because of the obvious politicizing of the celebrations. And no, it is not mainly because of the heat because there have been plenty of past birthday celebrations in DC when the heat was oppressive. The National Guard, police marshal DC as if it were a renegade province. It is not. Flock AI cameras surveil the citizens as if they are criminals. They are not. Multiple arrests of people at the Reflecting Pool on bogus charges for vandalism are oppressive too. DC resembles a police occupied territory with armed National Guardsmen walking in peaceful neighborhoods, patrolling in metro train stations, and surveilling the National Mall.
But one thing good is coming about in all of this, despite the alarm, anxiety, and divisiveness it has caused. It is that as more and more realize what of the republic is being stripped of its protections and the people from their rights, more pay attention and engage in their local governments to reclaim and build the just communities and economic opportunities they want for their futures. People are seeing fallacy in ‘trickle down economics’ as making the wealthy ever more so, and the powerful more entrenched. They are realizing that democracy is not a spectator endeavor and it involves much more than voting and then turning away to let the democratic machine run by itself. The machinery of democracy, clanky as it is even in the best of times, has to be oiled and parts need to be replaced from time to time.
To be democratic is contentious and difficult and it takes more energy and effort and going to great lengths to hear other points of view. This is not easy for entrenched power because it means hearing a range of opinions from a diversity of different people. Diversity is what made this country change over time from a culture built to protect white land owners to a civilization protecting the rights of other groups.
What would the founders say today if on its 250th birthday, they looked at a cross section of the country today? Among the technology progress, computer society, missions to space, rapid commerce, and improved standards of living, they would see rights afforded to women and minorities, which in their time were not imagined. They would see that there are no enslaved people. But they would also realize the last year and a half has been a series of giant steps backwards as the Supreme Court unbalanced their vision of three co-equal branches of government with rulings of near unlimited power to the president.
The demographic experiment the founders envisioned, carried the seeds of its own destruction. It has been a rough ride through a Civil War, Civil Rights, economic collapses, and strife in the streets for equality.
And how do the people of DC-MD-VA area feel about the state of their country on this 4th of July? We asked them to tell us their thoughts about what this day means to them. This is what they said:
John—Former DC Resident, Current Maryland Resident (Last Name withheld at request)
“The American people are more than our government. While I am disgusted with the actions of the Trump administration, I am also inspired by the nationwide resistance we’ve seen in this dark time. This resistance embodies the spirit of the American revolution far more than those in office could ever hope to.
”The Fourth of July to me is a celebration of the American people who continue to fight for a country which lives up to the true spirit of its creed. One where all people are created equal.”
Eric Lotke, Author of ‘Union Made’ Resident of Virginia
“On July 4 I think back to our foundational phrases. “We the people.” “E pluribus unum (out of many, one).” “All created Equal.” It’s unfortunate when those who profit from division outperform those who bring us together. “We must all hang together or we will surely hang separately.”
Susan Douglas, Local Activist
“In past years, the 4th of July has been a day of celebrating our fabulous, albeit somewhat flawed, democracy while recognizing the need to improve on some of those imperfections as we grow.
“In 2025, I was appalled to see where our country was headed, and I went down to the Mall in DC to hear a reading of the Declaration of Independence. It felt good to be grounded in that seminal work and the promise it holds for our nation. The day felt more somber than celebratory.
“This year, our nation is on the precipice of rejecting the very democracy upon which we were founded. I cannot celebrate as we watch our freedoms being stripped away. The greed, lies, corruption, and cruelty that surround us are nothing to be proud of. The arrogance of our leaders is shameful. Instead, we must stand together and claim that We the People reject authoritarianism. What we can celebrate is the courage and determination we bring to this fight to keep democracy alive and to reject tyranny.
“On this 250th anniversary of our independence, over 250 individuals representing the We the People Coalition, carried a huge 700-foot-long banner of the Preamble to the Constitution, with tens of thousands of signatures by fellow Americans, through the streets of DC. The extreme heat did not deter us as we walked through the street chanting “Love, not hate, makes America great.” We finished up at the National Archives, where the original Constitution is stored.
“We must never forget the struggles we overcame 250 years ago to create this nation. Together, we will work hard to keep our democracy alive. We have the power, we have the will, we have the courage, and We the People will prevail.”
Lisa Finn, Organizer, Third Act-DMV
“I am proud to be an American and love being part of this democracy experiment. Happy 250th! On this really hot day, July 4, I participated in a We the People march in DC to make sure that people understand we are all American and we cannot let people forget that what is happening right now is not normal.”
AK, (Initials given only)
“It is very hard to celebrate the Land of the Free when people are imprisoned in a detention center without working AC or access to fresh water at FarmVille Detention Center, per the Free them All Coalition. Can we really consider ourselves the Home of the Brave when most people are unwilling to speak out against the massive human rights’ violations at home and abroad that we are a part of?
AK provides this link for readers to help those persons imprisoned here.
.Iron Snowflake, Activist, Location withheld
“Uprising of local invading settlers against their original masters. A “merchant’s democracy” established. Imagine Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon being the three biggest voting blocs in Congress.
”Only white property owning men were allowed to vote, slavery legal in half the country, and the infamous “3/5th” compromise on how to count enslaved workers in the census.
“Also the reality that Indigenous people quickly found the US to be so much more dangerous than the British that many (notably Tecumseh) had to ally w the British in 1812.
“On the other hand, a perfect day for blowing up Flock cameras with fireworks. The noise however makes this a terrifying day for many companion animals.
“Also note that the settler’s war of independence and 1812 were both complicated by war between England and France.
”The French Revolution not 1776 was the one to celebrate.
“’Guillotines not fireworks’ maybe?”
Marty Willis, Voting Retiree, Virginia
“Now that our nation is 250 years old, let’s not forget the whole idea of America was to escape the tyranny of a king. We will never accept the hostile, authoritarian, anti-democratic policies of the current Trump regime. That stance is non-negotiable. As Americans, we must now fight to put our country back on the right side of history.
“It is an inspiration to be out on the streets in 2025 and 2026 fighting for decency and democracy with truly patriotic sisters and brothers. Let’s all keep supporting each other in this journey until we regain the real America we know and love. Moreover, the whole planet will wildly benefit if we prevail in this struggle against corruption, deceit, greed and oppression. And prevail, we must.”
Marcos (Last name withheld)
“The 4th of July is always a day for remembering and celebrating how our nation was born. The vision and planning of remarkable people made the idea of having our own country possible. The sacrifice of many other citizens secured the reality of our nation. This 250th anniversary reminds me of how precarious our Democracy can be. We must continue to be committed to the principles our founding fathers set out and hold our politicians accountable for their actions. We must leave no room for Fascism and authoritarianism in our government. On this day, I am concerned that the corruption of this administration will be normalized if they are not held accountable and punished. We the people need to shine a light on the profiteering, circumventing of separation of powers, use of government agencies to punish personal enemies and reward supporters, and the destruction of agencies and laws that protect the public so businesses and the wealthy can enrich themselves. We must vote and support candidates that will make a difference while working to strengthen the ideals our country was founded with.”
