James_March-April_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 66
beyond America’s shores. Observers
outside the American experience
have long recognized the unique
character of our country’s founding. Margaret Thatcher, the former
prime minister of Great Britain,
speaking from the perspective of
a civilization shaped by centuries
of tradition, famously said, “Europe
was created by history. America
was created by philosophy.”
That philosophy is simple but also
radical: that all people are created
equal; that we are endowed by our
Creator with unalienable rights to
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that we are not the subjects of a
monarchy; and that we are governed
by the rule of law and free and fair
elections, in which power flows from
the citizenry to those we choose
periodically and regularly to lead us.
As Alexander Hamilton proclaimed,
“Here, sir, the people govern.”
If American exceptionalism
means anything, it lies here. The
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United States is a creedal nation.
Our shared story unites us, but our
ideals define us. That is the enduring
beauty of America and what makes
it different from any other nation.
Two hundred and fifty years
after independence, the American
Revolution still calls to us. Not as
a finished story, but as an ongoing
challenge. When we tell that story
honestly, in all its complexity, we
can inspire Americans to renew their
commitment to the radical and still
liberating ideals embodied in the
Declaration of Independence— ideals
that were once narrowly applied but
carry even greater meaning today.
The question before us is not
whether these ideals still matter, but
whether we are willing, once again,
to live up to them— and transmit
them to generations unborn.
For so long as we remain committed to the principles of 1776, the
American Revolution will continue
to be a living event rather than a
relic of the past.
W. Todd Groce, Ph.D., is President and CEO
of the Georgia Historical Society and Keith
Strigaro is the Director of Communications.
