This column first appeared in CityView Magazine’s “The Military Issue” July 2026 edition.
The America 250 celebration officially began in 2024 and culminated on July 4, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. Celebrations have occurred—and will continue for some time—throughout the United States with reenactments, history tours, parades, and other events by individual communities.
So it’s a good time to refresh our understanding of America’s past. Anyone can celebrate by reading about our nation’s founding ideals and the history that connects us to the present. It can help us renew an appreciation of the values that shaped the United States and that we can build on today. Most importantly, it can remind us how everyday people working together can make a difference.
1. The American Revolution at 250: Twenty-Four Historians Reflect on the Founding edited by Francis D. Cogliano
This collection of essays by 24 leading historians reminds us of the importance of the American Revolution. The writers debate topics such as democracy, race, and citizenship, and their relevance to our nation’s 250th anniversary. What are the issues addressed in America’s founding that still impact us today? How do some of the same problems still plague us? Are we trying to solve them by following the original words of the Constitution or the ideals set forth by our Founding Fathers in that document?
2. The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson
I was immediately drawn to this book, written by one of our country’s leading writers, because of its intriguing title. I obviously had to find out what the sentence was. Author Walter Isaacson goes deep into the writing of one of the most powerful sentences ever written (spoiler alert!): “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 this short—and I mean really short—book, we learn that it was originally written, “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Property.” Doesn’t that give you something to think about? It begs the question: What prompted Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin to change this word as they were crafting the Declaration of Independence?
3. We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution by Jill Lepore
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2026, this study of the Constitution is a great follow-up to author Jill Lepore’s landmark history of the United States, These Truths. In this new history of the Constitution, Lepore writes that “One of the Constitution’s founding purposes was to prevent change…” and “Another was to allow for change without violence.” How can we reconcile that contradiction? Since our nation’s founding, there have been thousands of amendments put forth. But only 27 have been ratified, and the Constitution has not been significantly amended since 1971. Lepore suggests that the framers did not intend the Constitution to be stagnant—they thought that future generations might need to modify it through an orderly and democratic process. Congressman Jamie Raskin writes that Lepore has put forth a way to view the Constitution that will in fact result in “a more perfect union.”
4. African Founders: How Enslaved People Expanded American Ideals by David Hackett Fischer
In David Hackett Fischer’s book, we are introduced to the ways enslaved people contributed to the growing culture of the United States. Coming from different areas of Africa, they interacted with European colonists, creating varying regional cultures in the United States colonies. The African people brought diverse skills with them that helped develop and shape our country. Just one example is their expertise in growing rice, which became a huge part of South Carolina’s economy. Through decades of research, some of it in Africa, Fischer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, helps us understand the many contributions to our country by enslaved Africans.
5. Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation by Cokie Roberts
Much of America’s history deals with the men who helped found our country. Thanks to author and journalist Cokie Roberts, we learn about the women who also helped shape our nation. Drawing on private journals, personal correspondence, and other primary sources, she focuses on the amazing accomplishments of these women. “Almost every quotation here is written by a woman, to a woman, or about a woman.” Some of the women we know about already, like Abigail Adams and Dolley Madison. Many others may be new to readers. These women were the heroines, social reformers, and visionaries who helped build our nation.
6. This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History by Beverly Gage
Once you begin to have a greater understanding of the founding of our country, you are going to want to go see it! Author Beverly Gage takes you along with her on her “ultimate road trip in the American past.” She shares with us the museums and historic sites, from the birth of our nation in Philadelphia to the California dream. Through this guided tour, you not only read about it, but you can use it as a map when you get behind the wheel yourself to experience the many amazing sites of American history.
As we celebrate America 250 in 2026, we owe it to ourselves and our descendants to do everything we can to learn more about our nation’s history so we can build on all the positive things done before us and learn what worked and what didn’t. Together, we can use that foundation to try to create a more perfect union.
