America250

The Exception, Not the Rule: Why the American Revolution Was an Anomaly

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Most revolutions begin with promises of freedom and end with new forms of power. The French Revolution produced the Terror and Napoleon. The Russian Revolution produced Lenin and Stalin. The Chinese Revolution produced Mao and mass famine. History’s pattern is clear: tearing down institutions is far easier than building stable replacements. The American Revolution was different. The Founders inherited functioning local governments, a tradition of self-rule, and a deep understanding of human nature. Rather than trusting power, they divided it. Rather than creating permanent revolution, they created a constitutional republic capable of reform without collapse. As America approaches its 250th birthday, the greatest lesson of 1776 may not be that revolution is glorious, but that the true miracle was what came after—the creation of a nation where change could occur without needing another revolution.

U.S. Army at 250 Plus One

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The United States of America is 250 years old this year, because for the year before, the U.S. Army (The Continental Line) was in the field fighting for freedom. This Nation forged by war is remarkably un-militaristic. Yet, the free-thinking, independent, faithfully Christian, rowdy half the country is fiercely pro-military. Freedom-loving Americans expect the well-disciplined, tightly run Army to be the best in the world and stay in their lane. Fight wars and win.

Your Great-Grandfather Would Think You’re Rich

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America is about to turn 250 years old, yet many of us live with less gratitude than our great-grandparents who had far less. The average American enjoys comforts that kings, presidents, and industrial tycoons could only dream of—instant communication, modern medicine, air conditioning, safe food, and access to nearly all human knowledge from a device in their pocket. Yet we often act as though we are the most deprived generation in history. This article examines the extraordinary inheritance we’ve received from those who built America, the dangers of historical amnesia, and why our descendants may care less about our complaints than what we chose to build, preserve, and pass on. Before we criticize the nation our forefathers handed us, perhaps we should ask a more uncomfortable question: Are we proving worthy of the gift they left behind?

Beauty and the beastly: Obama used architecture to depress Americans. Trump uses it to lift people higher.

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Three important things happened in 1953: Eisenhower began his peaceful and prosperous presidency, I was born, and the Keep America Beautiful campaign began.

The American Can Company and Owens-Illinois Glass Company got it rolling with the simple idea of not living like pigs who litter the streets, the parks and other things. Don’t be a litterbug! they said. And we stopped being litterbugs.

Well, most of us.