Celebrating our republic

The Fourth of July holiday weekend marks the countdown to the 250th year since the founding of our nation, culminating with the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. Over those two-and-a-half centuries, the country has seen times of prosperity, times of conflict and threats from both outside and inside our borders. Our history has been filled with great accomplishments as well as areas where we fell short of the standards the founders envisioned and hoped. We have rarely been a country without internal strife, disagreements and conflict — yet we continue to prevail. On Sept. 17, 1787, after the delegates to the Constitutional Convention had signed the Constitution in preparation for it to be sent to the states for ratification, Benjamin Franklin was asked by Elizabeth Willing Powel, "Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" to which Franklin replied, "A republic, if you can keep it." As we look to the 250th year of independence, it is a good opportunity to look back on our history as a republic and understand where we came from — understanding our past, learning from our successes and failures and striving for continued improvement. While historically, we haven't always agreed on the direction for the country and at times faced civil unrest and even war over those convictions, we continue to hold on to the republic Franklin helped form. Our country continues to be divided on many issues. Finger-pointing, partisanship and tribalism seem to define much of our dialogue. Rational discussion, civility and decorum seem to be lacking. However, at times, we have come together in unity and overall, we continue to work toward the principles the founders envisioned. Let's take the next year to work together to improve our country, our cities, our neighborhoods and our families. We have a history to be proud of and it needs to be celebrated. Let's keep that in mind as we move toward our 250th.