Is the Spirit of 1776 still alive?

How the Commission meant to commemorate our nation's 250th birthday has been hijacked — along with the opportunity to bring us all together

A Calling to Unite America

Two years ago, I stepped into a role that felt like a calling.

I had the honor of being hired to lead America 250 — the official commission designated by Congress to plan our nation’s 250th birthday. I took the job with hope in my heart and a vision: that this anniversary could be a rare moment of national healing. A chance for Americans — across all backgrounds, beliefs, and hometowns — to celebrate the country we’ve built together. Not as a flawless tale, but as a story of constant striving. A story worth commemorating.

I imagined fireworks and concerts, yes — but also town hall conversations, new civic rituals, and memories our children would carry into their adulthood. I imagined communities laughing, listening, and learning together. I imagined patriotism rooted in pride and humility, not grievance and fear.

A Vision Undermined

Some of the commissioners shared that vision. Many had vivid memories of the 1976 Bicentennial and wanted to offer the same unifying experience to today’s generation.

But I quickly learned that the dream wasn’t shared by all.

I left the Commission after only a few months, disheartened by the bureaucratic dysfunction. The planning process — something that should have belonged to all of us — was hijacked.

Commemoration Should Be for All Americans

And now, what’s planned for this weekend feels like a betrayal of the very ideals America 250 was meant to represent — an organization for ALL Americans, meant to be above partisanship and politics.

Let’s be clear: America 250, like any great national commemoration, should never belong to a single president or party. It should be designed, led, and executed in a way that every American — regardless of political affiliation — can see themselves in it. This anniversary belongs to the people, not to power. There should be no partisan reason to opt out of a moment meant to bring us together.

A Hijacked Legacy

To see the logo I once helped usher in — the symbol of our quarter-millennial celebration — emblazoned across what the President has turned into a hyper-partisan Army parade and Fort Bliss rally is nauseating. Funded by crypto billionaires and Silicon Valley political operatives, that spectacle won't unite Americans — it will divide them. Instead of using this moment to honor the Constitution or pay tribute to the many shoulders we stand on, the President gave a speech about his own election. His own power. His own grievances.

Celebrating the Army, Not Politicizing It

Of course we should celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Army. After all, it was the Continental Army, under George Washington, that helped free us from a tyrannical king. That Army was the living embodiment of the “No Kings” philosophy that defines American democracy. But honoring that legacy demands that the Army remain above politics — not be used as a backdrop for partisan rallies and self-congratulation. The concern today is not about honoring the Army — it’s about the inappropriate politicization of our armed forces.

A New Way Forward

This is not what the 250th should be. But here’s the hope: we are not powerless. Not even close.

This Saturday, across the country, more than a thousand peaceful gatherings will mark what the President won’t:

» Why we said “no kings!” 250 years ago.

» Why our founders embedded checks and balances into our government.

» Why the rule of law matters.

» Why protest is patriotic.

» Why our democracy depends not just on elections, but on the courage of ordinary people who speak up and stand firm.

The Spirit Lives On

The truth is, my dream for the 250th hasn’t died. It’s just changed.

Because when I look around — when I see the resilience of this movement, the moral clarity of so many Americans, the organizing, the letter-writing, the standing-room-only town halls, the backyard potlucks for democracy — I realize something:

We don’t need permission — let alone an extravagant commission — to celebrate the best of America.

We don’t need a stage or a parade to remind each other that this country belongs to us.

Bright America will continue to lift up this vision — a vision rooted in dignity, honesty, justice, and hope. We will give you the tools to resist authoritarianism and rewrite the story of this anniversary as a people’s movement, not a coronation.

The most powerful way to mark 250 years of America may not be with fireworks — but with voices, united.

We Still Believe

Voices that say:

» We believe in the rule of law.
» We reject the politics of vengeance.
» We still believe in “We the People.”

Let’s keep building the America we deserve. Because the spirit of 1776 still lives — in you.