As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, let’s take a moment away from the chaotic headlines we wake up to every morning to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed.

After America declared independence, its government struggled until the Founders wrote the Constitution 11 years later “to form a more perfect Union.” It may be one of the greatest strengths of the American experiment.

Our Founders couldn’t define perfection for future generations. But they created a framework that lets us keep pursuing it. Each generation inherits a country shaped by those who came before. Each generation decides what comes next.

We have seen that responsibility exercised before, powerfully and collectively. In 1970, Earth Day galvanized the largest civic mobilization this country had ever seen. Millions of Americans delivered a clear message: democracy depends on protecting what we all........

© NY Daily News