As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, the milestone is increasingly being viewed not as a simple birthday party, but as a critical juncture for the future of self-government.
In a recent episode of The Fulcrum Roundtable, contributor Carolyn Goode argued that this "semi-quincentennial" must serve as a "civic diagnostic" to evaluate whether the nation still practices the principles it claims to celebrate.
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In "A Republic at 250: What History Teaches — and What Americans Must Choose," Goode, who has authored several pieces on the state of the republic, writes that citizens face a crossroads: restore the Republic through vigilance and accountability, or allow it to erode.
She suggests that the 250-year mark is a "civic crossroads" where Americans must decide to move beyond symbolic gestures. She emphasizes that the responsibility for maintaining the republic rests solely with the people rather than political leaders or parties, who are often incentivized to preserve their own power.
In "Only the People Can Save This Republic – Not the Parties, Not the Politicians," Goode writes that when politicians and parties fail, the responsibility to save the Republic rests with the people.
According to Goode, the anniversary offers a unique opportunity to revitalize the "civic habits" necessary for self-government. She contends that history is a "common memory" that allows citizens to recognize patterns and demand accountability. "If this anniversary is to matter, it would be because it reminds Americans that the republic was never meant to depend on the leaders. It was designed to engage the citizens,: she said.
In "Has Deception Become America’s Currency of Power?" Goode examines how a governing strategy leveraging deception undermines democracy, erodes civic trust, and what citizens must do to restore truth.
A significant portion of the discussion focused on the systemic nature of political deception, which Goode describes as a "currency of power". While acknowledging that institutional reforms and media literacy are essential "guardrails," she maintains that the ultimate safeguard is independent judgment. "A vote is not an act of loyalty. It's an act of judgment, and the people have to have personal judgment. We can't allow leaders to make the decisions for us".
To break the cycle of deception, Goode urges citizens to verify information and refuse to surrender their autonomy to partisan narratives. She believes that the value of deception is only diminished when citizens actively devalue it through truth and accountability.
Ultimately, Goode views the 250th anniversary as a national call to action rather than a predetermined celebration. By recommitting to the framework of constitutional self-government, Americans can fulfill the original expectations of the framers."If we use this anniversary to recommit ourselves to constitutional self-government, then it will become a celebration. It will become a national call to action to do what the framers expected us to do: keep the republic".
Hugo Balta is the executive editor of The Fulcrum and the publisher of the Latino News Network.
