Keeping the Celebration Going

We are bound by laws we voluntarily accept, beginning with the Constitution.

Jul 23, 2026

Some may be inclined to think the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence ended on or was confined to July 4. In fact, it only started on that date. Given this milestone’s importance, we should, as a country, continue celebrating it through next July 4.

To this end, this week, the Washington Times published a column I wrote in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary as a free country. It describes how freedom is at the heart of the American experiment. It is an essential feature without which our society simply wouldn’t work.

I wanted to share this column with you, to keep up the celebration.

Freedom is at the heart of American exceptionalism

In the famous movie “Braveheart,” William Wallace, as portrayed by Mel Gibson, was ultimately tortured to death. In his final moments, when given a chance to seek mercy, he yelled one word, “Freedom!”

This is only a movie (the real Wallace was killed even more gruesomely than the movie portrays and almost certainly did not shout anything). But the emotional impact of this scene was especially powerful for Americans.

Freedom is a word that is close to the heart of the American experience. The men who came to Concord and Lexington in 1775 to stop the British Army from confiscating their weapons were fighting for freedom.