As our nation’s celebration of its 250th birthday approaches, experts in history and political science at Virginia Tech can provide perspectives on how far the United States of America has advanced since its founding and the issues that will influence where it goes next.
Reflections on equality
The nation’s birthday traditionally is a day when Americans reflect on what it means to be American, and not all agree. Debates about what the Founding Fathers meant 250 years ago when they drafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are nothing new, said Paul Quigley, professor of history. Every generation dating back to 1776 has argued about the practical meaning of the principles in these documents, he said, including Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.
“Understanding how previous generations have contested the meaning of America can help us today, when the country seems to be tearing itself apart,” Quigley said. “History can unite us and it can divide us, but most importantly it can teach us how connected we are to people in the past and the future.”
Perhaps too many people today think of the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution as a direct, smooth progression, but it wasn’t, said political scientist Karen Hult.
“In the restive British colonies, writing and circulating the declaration was itself a seditious act, but it soon had to be revisited. The initial governing document following independence was the Articles of Confederation, which turned out to be inadequate,” she said. “It’s worth reflecting as well on those participating in the contentious, challenging, and spirited debate in the stifling and physically perilous and uncertain Philadelphia rooms where the Constitution was crafted.”
In the 250 years since, “the country has taken halting steps toward several of the declaration’s aspirations, values, expectations, and norms — albeit rarely with equitable distribution across individuals, demographic groups, and varying interests,” Hult said.
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents ever written because it set forth an ideal that has shaped the nation ever since, said Dan Thorp, associate professor of history. Most of its ideals weren’t true in practice at the time, such as the statement that all men are created equal and have inalienable rights.
Even so, different groups in the United States and around the world have appealed to the declaration’s principles in struggles for equality and justice.
“We have slid backwards at times, and we may never fully realize the declaration’s promise, but the great strength of this nation has been its effort to live up to Jefferson’s words,” Thorp said.
Paths of innovation
Political communications expert Cayce Myers said the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is not only a recognition of a political milestone, but also a significant media event.
“The distribution of the declaration utilized printed broadsides, the large posters that were mass media of that era, to galvanize public sentiment,” he said. “This was an early example of the mass reproduction of content through printers and newspapers, making it the equivalent of 18th century viral content. This coupled with information networks within colonial taverns and coffeehouses allowed the news of this event to spread quickly. It demonstrates the importance of free speech and a free press as cornerstones of robust self-governance and democracy.”
A document with tremendous global impact, the declaration articulated concepts of the duties of government toward its citizens and detailed fundamental rights of individuals, Myers said. “In a world that is being transformed rapidly with technology and fragmented media narratives it is important to recognize the shared philosophical heritage that the Declaration of Independence provides.”
Technological innovation has been a core tenet of the American Dream. “The hopes, fears, and tensions surrounding technology and innovation have been with us since the nation’s founding,” said historian Matt Wisnioski. “The hope was that new ideas could solve intractable social problems, create new opportunities, make things better in a way that works for everyone, and make fortunes in the process. We are seeing that fracture.”
Questions of where technological changes come from, whether they happen too fast, who benefits, and who is harmed, have implications for how innovation shapes our national identity. “At 250 years old, the United States continues to wrestle with how to harness technology in service of a democratic society,” he said.
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