Americans are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States this Independence Day, a milestone that underscores the nation’s unique foundation on individual liberty despite deep internal divisions and political violence.
A Republic Rooted in Liberty
Two and a half centuries ago, Thomas Jefferson penned in the Declaration of Independence: “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.” In an 1819 letter, Jefferson elaborated: “rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will, within the limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’; because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual.”
This ethos persists. The late sociologist Robin M. Williams, Jr., in his textbook American Society, noted that “American ‘individualism,’ taken in broadest terms, has consisted mainly of a rejection of the state and impatience with restraints upon economic activity.”
Trust in Government at Near-Record Low
Pew Research’s fall 2025 survey found that only 17% of Americans trust the federal government to do the right thing almost always or most of the time—just above the all-time low of 15% recorded in 2011. This skepticism reflects a enduring wariness of state power.
Prosperity Outpacing Peers
Despite political strife, American affluence continues to grow. The Economist reported in June 2026 that Europeans visiting the U.S. for World Cup games are astonished by “the mass affluence of America’s suburbs,” adding that “the American wealth enticing holidaymakers troubles European elites. America, once a peer, seems to be racing ahead.”
Data from the World Bank confirms this trend. EU GDP per capita as a percentage of U.S. GDP per capita fell from 76.5% in 2008 to 50% in 2023, according to EconoFact. U.S. per capita GDP reached $84,534 in 2023, compared to $54,340 for Canada and $53,246 for the United Kingdom. Americans are pulling further ahead of Canadians and Britons year by year.
A Shared Foundation
As J.D. Tuccille writes from Cottonwood, Arizona: “Americans may not be able to attend the same celebrations without grumbling and glaring at one another, but we all have something in common worth celebrating.” That common ground remains the nation’s founding principle—individual liberty—which has fueled its prosperity and endurance for 250 years.
