On July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr the sitting vice president shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel known then as an affair of honor.
Duels were fairly common at the time and their rivalry went back years. In the 1796 and 1800 elections Burr and Hamilton were bitter political enemies. Hamilton publicly attacked Burr calling it a religious duty to oppose him.
The 1800 election was chaotic. Jefferson and Burr tied with 73 electoral votes each. Under the rules then the House of Representatives had to decide. After 35 ballots Federalists led by Hamilton supported Jefferson as the lesser evil. Jefferson became president and Burr vice president.
By 1804 Jefferson had dropped Burr. Burr ran for governor of New York as an independent but Hamilton campaigned hard against him and attacked his character. Burr challenged Hamilton to the duel to restore his reputation.
Accounts differ on the shots but Burr hit Hamilton in the stomach. Hamilton died the next day. Burr was later charged with treason, acquitted on a technicality and lived the rest of his life in disgrace. Hamilton’s face ended up on the ten dollar bill. Compared to today’s elections the campaigns of the 1800s were far nastier and more violent, so far. The Constitution handled the 1800 tie and still works today.
In every generation, most Americans have looked beyond their own strength and trusted that God’s hand was still guiding the nation.
From the earliest days of the nation, when outcomes were anything uncertain, the Founders often spoke of a quiet confidence that the hand of God was at work. They knew their strength was limited, their resources scarce, and futures unclear. Yet in those tenuous moments, they sensed a providence greater than their own efforts, a reminder that liberty was not merely won by men but guided by something higher.
They understood that liberty was never meant to be a human invention alone. Freedom has always carried a spiritual weight, because it rests on the truth that every person is created with dignity, purpose, and moral agency. The Founders believed that genuine liberty required more than courage or political vision. It required God’s guidance. Without His wisdom shaping the hearts of a free people, the experiment they were beginning could not endure.
That calling feels especially difficult in a time when the country seems pulled in opposite directions. Division can make freedom feel fragile, as if the very idea of a shared national purpose is slipping away. Yet the responsibility of a free people does not disappear when unity is strained. If anything, it becomes more important. Liberty asks us to rise above the noise, to honor the rule of law even when we disagree, and to remember that God’s guidance is still available to those who seek wisdom rather than victory. In a divided nation, the calling remains the same, to live as people worthy of the freedom we have been given.
For Christians, the story of America’s beginning is not a call to pride but to gratitude. If God guided the birth of this nation, then He is still guiding His people within it. Our task is not to claim perfection but to seek His wisdom in how we live, how we lead, and how we care for the freedom entrusted to us. The same God who watched over the founding watches over us now, inviting us to walk with humility, to uphold what is good, and to pray for a nation that needs His steady hand as much today as it ever has.
Through the nation’s long story, Americans have looked beyond their own strength and trusted that God’s hand was still guiding the nation. God invites His people to remember that freedom is never sustained by strength alone but by hearts willing to seek His wisdom. As we look back on the providence that shaped our beginning, we look forward with the same trust, asking Him to guide us, steady us, and teach us how to honor the liberty He has entrusted to us. It is true to say the final chapter is not yet written, because the Artist is still painting, and the canvas of this nation remains in His hands. And through the gift of free will, we are invited to shape our part of the story in His direction.
Does anyone remember the early to mid-1960’s, the parades? Kids marched wearing baseball or scout uniforms. The high school band took part. There were majorettes. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts led with flags held high. At least one fire truck was in the parade. WWII and Korean War veterans march in their uniforms, some with a perfect fit, others opened as necessary. A handful of convertibles carrying pageant queens and local dignitaries like the mayor and other community leaders. Some cars and trucks joined the parade at the end.
At some point after, we made our way home for family cookouts. Friends and neighbors stopped by. Women would talk; men might have a couple beers. Games like softball, wiffle ball, tag, or maybe catch were played.
As the sun set in the west, we left by car to an open area and searched for the perfect spot to watch fireworks. The local fire departments took care of setting off the display. Most burst in a dazzling display of light. Some went up, flashed, and a cannon like boom could be heard. Special ones twirled in the air with a whistling sound. It all led up to the grand finale. It was a long, spectacular display of color, with loud booms.
When it was over, we walked back to the cars we came in. Younger kids laughed and ran, older ones walked together, talking. Parents seemed content that the kids had a good time. As cars exited the parking area, firefighters stood with fire boots held out for a small donation for next year’s show.
There are no photos with this, and none needed; just lots of great memories etched in our minds of a simpler time.
Dedicated to the generations who kept the promise alive.
On July 4, 2026, the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of colonists dared to declare that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed and that all men are created equal, endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That document was not a finished product but a radical promise. On this semi-quincentennial, we can honor that promise without pretending the road to it has been flawless.
America’s story contains undeniable failures. Slavery contradicted the very creed of the founding, displacement of native peoples, and costly foreign entanglements all mark chapters we would rather rewrite. These are profound footnotes in our history not in step with the ideals announced in 1776. Yet what distinguishes the American experiment is not the absence of sin but the stubborn insistence on confronting and correcting it. The Civil War ended slavery. Constitutional amendments expanded the circle of “We the People.” Each generation has been forced, often painfully, to measure itself against the standard set in Philadelphia. That capacity for self-correction is itself part of what makes the country exceptional.
At the heart of this capacity lies the rule of law, not social justice. The Founders designed a system in which no individual, no matter how powerful, stands above the law. Independent courts, due process, protections against arbitrary government action, and the principle of equality before the law were radical breaks from the monarchies and empires of the era. Sometimes it seems we haven’t always lived up to the ideals given us, but the system has self-corrected when necessary. This framework has repeatedly reined in excess and enabled reform. The rule of law is imperfect and often strained, but its endurance makes possible the peaceful transfer of power and the gradual expansion of rights that define the American story.
American Exceptionalism rests on several interlocking realities that remain visible even after 250 years.
First, we need to consider the political architecture of our country. Though today we’re really talking about the Declaration of Independence, we need to bring into discussion the Constitution. It created a durable republic with separated powers, federalism, and regular elections, anchored by the rule of law. No other large nation has operated under the same fundamental law for so long while peacefully transferring power dozens of times. The system was designed for imperfect people; its survival through civil war, depression, and world war testifies to its resilience.
Second, the economic and social promise of opportunity. America became the destination for tens of millions of legal immigrants precisely because it offered something rare in human history: the realistic chance that talent and effort could overcome birth, protected by legal predictability and secure property rights. The “rags to riches” narrative is not universal, but data shows higher rates of absolute mobility across generations than in peer nations for most of, if not all, our history. The dynamism of American capitalism, driven by property rights, open markets, and a culture that celebrates invention, produced the world’s largest economy and a standard of living that pulled global living standards upward through technology and trade.
Third is our culture of innovation and reinvention. From the steam engine improvements and interchangeable parts of the early republic to electricity, automobiles, aviation, computing, the internet, and biotechnology, Americans have repeatedly turned ideas into reality. It is the energy that settled a continent, also placed humans on the Moon and created the tools that now connect billions. That inventive tradition continues in laboratories, garages, and startups today.
Fourth is our aspirational role on the world stage. For all its mistakes, the United States has been, at critical moments, an arsenal of freedom and a magnet for those seeking liberty. The defeat of fascism and the long contest with Soviet communism were not solely American victories, yet American power and purpose were indispensable. Countless people around the globe still look to American institutions, culture, and markets as reference points for what self-government and prosperity can look like.
None of this erases the real work that remains. Deep polarization and institutional distrust are pressing challenges right now. Yet the very framework that allows us to openly debate these problems-free speech, a free press, competitive elections, and the rule of law-is itself a testament to the durability of the American experiment. Many today question whether these pillars still stand. That skepticism is healthy and part of the tradition. Other nations have copied pieces of the American model; few have ever replicated the full combination of constitutional restraint, economic openness, and individual agency that has defined our exceptional journey.
On this 250th Fourth of July, the most fitting tribute is not reflexive celebration or reflexive condemnation. It is a renewed commitment to the unfinished work. The Declaration’s truths were “self-evident” in theory; making them evident in practice has been, and remains, the distinctly American project. Two hundred and fifty years in, the experiment continues, not because we have achieved perfection, but because most of us still believe the promise is worth striving toward. That belief, tested and tempered by history, is the core of American Exceptionalism worth carrying forward.
Giving thanks for the providence that has carried this republic through 250 years-Happy 250th! #GodBlessAmerica #America250 #July4th2026 #IndependenceDay#AmericanExceptionalism #RuleOfLaw #FoundingPrinciples #Patriots
In the days leading up to July 4, I’m sharing a brief trilogy of events that helped set the stage for American independence in 1776. This is the last of the three.
A little over 250 years ago, on April 19, 1775, the American Revolution began at sunrise on Lexington Green in Massachusetts.
Paul Revere’s midnight ride had delivered the warning, more on this later as a note. Seventy-seven farmers and tradesmen, led by Captain John Parker, a veteran of the French & Indian War, almost on his deathbed, stood in the path of 700 British Regulars.
Parker is credited with two historical expressions. The first, he ordered, “Stand your ground.” The second, “Don’t fire unless fired upon. But if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”
A single shot rang out. The fact is nobody knows who fired first. By nightfall the British were in full retreat, chased 17 miles back to Boston by ordinary colonists who had become an armed fighting force in a single day.
An important thing is to look at it as three separate, but continuous battles. By the end, the British, with reinforcements, grew to about 1,700. The colonists numbered 77. By the end of the day, the number grew to close to 4,000. When I say three separate battles; Lexington Green at dawn, Concord’s North Bridge, and the running retreat, At Concord’s North Bridge, the militia fired the “shot heard round the world.” Total casualties for the day were as follows: Colonists: 49 killed, 39-41 wounded, and five missing. For the British: 73 killed, 174 wounded, 26–53 missing/captured.
Let’s clear up what may be some misconceptions. Paul Revere did not shout, “The British Are Coming” or “The Redcoats Are Coming.” British soldiers were referred to as “Regulars.” All evidence shows what he actually said was, “The Regulars are coming out!”
“The British are coming!” phrase first appeared almost 50 years later, by John Hancock’s fiancée, Dorothy Scott.
“The shot heard round the world comes from a poem written by Ralph Waldo Emerson called the Concord. Hymn. Some background here. The shot was first coined by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous line in the Concord Hymn in 1837 specifically refers to the American volley at Concord’s North Bridge, not the earlier shot at Lexington Green:
“By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.”
Finally, there is a difference between militiamen and minutemen. Both were part of the colonial citizen-soldier system in 1775. We often hear of minutemen but, their numbers were lesser than militiamen, kind of. Minutemen were part of the militia, but more elite, more physically fit, and younger.
This may sound crude in today’s world because it’s no longer true but if you’re old enough, you may remember some men in your county sheriff’s department appearing heavier and not in shape and contrast it with the State Highway Patrol. Both are part of law enforcement (militia) with the State Highway being more elite (minutemen).
They were not soldiers. They were farmers, tradesmen, and teenagers who decided they would rather die on their feet than live on their knees. And they changed the world
