Dear John, 

Independence Day will soon be upon us. I hope you will spend the day surrounded by family and friends, and that you are finding time this summer to rest and recharge for the school year ahead.  
 
While we celebrate Independence Day this year, I have thought often about an Independence Day that is still to come.   

In just two short years, on July 4, 2026, America will celebrate its 250th birthday. This is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on where we want to be as a country in 2026.   

And what will the next 250 years of America look like?  

While some may define our nation by the divisions and disagreements that exist today, I place great hope in the Founding principles that have sustained America throughout its history.   

I place great hope in you, and the tireless work you do. In your classroom, students are learning about our Founding principles, why they matter, and the citizenship skills and civic virtues needed to sustain them.

When President Calvin Coolidge spoke in Philadelphia in 1926, in celebration of America’s 150th birthday, he declared our Founding principles like liberty, equality, and justice as “final.”  

“If all men are created equal, that is final,” he said. “If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final.”  

Times may change, but our principles do not.   

I believe our Founding principles can hold us together as Americans as much today as they did in previous generations. When we live by these principles, our nation thrives. When we depart from them, we fail.   

I hope that this Independence Day, and all the Independence Days to come, will be an opportunity to remind ourselves of the principles that unite us. And we are forever grateful to you for passing the knowledge and importance of those principles to future generations. 

With gratitude,  

 
David J. Bobb, Ph.D.  
President and CEO, Bill of Rights Institute