4th of July 2026 marks the 250 anniversary of the day Congress approved the text of the Declaration of Independence, and therefore the birth of the United States of America.
The Declaration was signed by 56 patriots. By putting their names on that parchment, they were committing what King George III and British law defined as high treason—a crime traditionally punished by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. In effect they were signing their own death warrants.
They risked their wealth, their families, and their lives on a military gamble. If George Washington’s army had failed, those 56 names would have served as an official British execution list.
The handwritten parchment wasn’t actually signed until August 2, 1776. Even then, not everyone was present; delegates continued to add their names over the coming months. The final signer, Thomas McKean, didn’t sign his name until 1777.
The year 1776 was miraculous in other ways. Adam Smith, the Scottish professor of moral philosophy and the progenitor of what we today call economics, published his book “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations” in 1776.
Also in 1776, the English historianEdward Gibbon published the first volume of his monumental work “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.”
I love this bit. Upon receiving the second volume of Gibbon’s work, William Henry, Duke of Gloucester remarked dismissively, “Another damned, thick, square, book! Always scribble, scribble, scribble! Eh! Mr. Gibbon?”
Now I add a few thoughts regarding why the United States is an amazing country. It is the only country founded on an idea — that of freedom.
Margaret Thatcher noted that Europe was a product of history, but the United States was a product of philosophy. That’s a profound realization. The “Founding Fathers” of the United States were philosophers, in the broadest sense of the word. Only the United States has “founders.” They were students of philosophy and political science, men who were engaged in the ordinary business of life.
Though they were products of their time, they were also more advanced than their time. While we admit that they were flawed in their own ways, they laid the foundation for the “more perfect union” that they sought to create.
We should appreciate that they created a constitution that has survived over two centuries with only 27 amendments. That number includes the “Bill of Rights” which is ten in number. No other country has that feature that protects the rights of the people against the tyranny of the government.
James Madison, the principal author of the constitution of the United States, was only 36 years old when he arrived in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention in May 1787.
With all its faults, it is a work of genius.
No individual and no collective is perfect. That’s the human condition. The US has its faults just as all other collectives have. But a dispassionate assessment of how the US has performed relative to others, it would rate at the top of the heap.
Happy 250th! May you live long and prosper and continue to lead the world to greater prosperity.
Time to listen to an old favorite suited to the occasion. Born on the bayou by Credence Clearwater Revival.
[This post is brought to you by the generous support of my friend Molly and her family in Chicago.]
Atanu Dey : Life is a Random Draw 