America at 250 - The State of The Union

Every change comes with a choice--do we wish to proceed along that course, or should we do something different or work to restore that which was changed? How shall we choose?

David Robb , Bio and Archives--June 22, 2026

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As we approach the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, there is great attention being paid to our early history leading up to our Revolution and the years soon following. But our nation has gone through many great changes since that early period. We have experienced a multitude of wars, expanded from the original 13 colonies to 50 states and several territories.

A shining beacon on a hill holding up the light of liberty as an example for the peoples of the world and a warning to tyrants everywhere

In 1920, we transitioned from a majority rural population to one that is predominately urban. We went from a nation dependent on horses for transportation and agriculture, first to transcontinental railroads to highways to global air transport. The period saw messages carried by hand from town to town to an internet operating at the speed of light.. The country grew from about 2.5 million inhabitants including about 500,000 slaves both black and white, to 340 million and no slaves.

We went from a tiny minor power—hardly more than a rebellious trivial colony to a world power. We became a refuge for those suffering war and famine and persecution—a shining beacon on a hill holding up the light of liberty as an example for the peoples of the world and a warning to tyrants everywhere.

One of the most radical ideas of our revolution was that the general populace had both the right and the obligation to govern itself. There were to be no kings, no aristocracy, no emperors or caliphs or pharaohs. History was to serve as a guide, both for examples of failures and successes, for what worked and what didn't, but we were breaking new ground, charting new paths, and setting forth into an unknown future.

A guiding principle was that each individual was given fundamental rights by Divine order, and not by any secular authority or government. It was a principle that held every person equal before man and God regardless of birth or race or creed. Moreover, every person, including those in positions of power, were to answer to a Highest authority for their actions here on earth—an accountability that could not be evaded or dismissed.

Two thousand years of Christianity was held to provide moral guidance to inform and support a government of the people, by the people and for the people; a government that held the rights of individuals superior to those of any group or government; a government that existed........

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