It’s hard to believe that it has been 37 years
since America had its 200th birthday, but this 4th of
July, America will be 237 years old. The
experiment in democracy that is America is still working and every year we
learn how challenging it is to be a “good citizen” in a country that expects
much of its people. When America was born,
character defined leaders. The emphasis
was on doing right, being principle-centered, and giving back to the country
which had given so much to you.
When you visit Mt. Vernon (home of George
Washington) and Monticello (home of Thomas Jefferson), you get a sense of the
men who willingly risked it all to make this country a reality. Washington was not interested in being
another King George, he was interested in getting the country started and then
returning to his home in Mount Vernon and tending to his land. Jefferson was not only the primary author of
the Declaration of Independence, he was an inventor, a scientist, a farmer who
donated his tremendous library to the Library of Congress to “jump start” its
collection. These were humble men in
many ways, yet able to lead because of the principle-centered roots they
planted to provide them a foundation to dream the “impossible dream”.
In Kennedy’s inaugural he stated, “Ask not what
your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” So the question is this—“What can you and I
do for our country?” It seems clear to
me that as
Americans we need to seriously consider this question so we can
ensure that America celebrates its 300th birthday, 63 years from
now.
What are some of the things that you are doing to
support our country? Share your
activities with us.
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