INDIANAPOLIS | America’s 250th anniversary should belong to the country, not to any one president, party or campaign cycle.
The Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump used the National Mall kickoff to headline a rally-style anniversary event. AP-NORC polling also shows Americans approaching the milestone with a mix of pride, excitement, conflict and indifference.
That mixed reaction should be a warning to civic leaders. A semiquincentennial that becomes too closely identified with one political figure will leave many Americans feeling like spectators rather than participants.
The better path is local and plural: school history projects, veterans’ stories, constitutional education, naturalization ceremonies, neighborhood service days, local museums and honest public conversations about what the country has achieved and where it has fallen short.
Additional Reporting By: Associated Press; AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.