It’s hard to imagine the American founding fathers concerned themselves with the thought of a Semiquincentennial a couple of centuries down the road, much less how to spell the word. After all, their world was complex enough… old school monarchy overreach, new wave thinkers and constitutional proposals, and of course, soldiers in red coats shooting at them. Perhaps, in powdered wigs they’d raise an eyebrow and scoff, “What say ye… 250? Let’s see if we can hold this together for 4 or 5… months.” Nevertheless, their conceptual brilliance to shape, start, and preserve a one-man, one-vote republic against all odds is beyond remarkable. Perfect? Not hardly. That one-man concept literally meant… men. And not all of them. The founders would all be gone in the next century when the country would try to deal with that latter nasty decision in the nation’s most uncivil war ever. They would kill each other until one side could kill no more.
Semiquincentennial… Say What?
Fast forward a couple of centuries and the U.S. of A. is indeed prepping for that Semiquincentennial, otherwise known as America 250, the biggest birthday bash ever, we’re told, in July, 2026. It will be way more than a couple of sparklers. Not surprisingly given today’s fractured and partisan politics, the bickering has begun. How many sparklers? Who holds them? Who should sparkle most?
U.S. Should Sparkle
There’s a lesson to be learned and we’ve got less than a year to learn it. America is better together. Not to be misunderstood as flag waving or changing one’s political position, but rather the concept of choosing common sense. And common courtesy. Yes, there is right and wrong, good and evil. The one man/woman concept, dare we say “right”, lets that one individual decide. There will not be universal agreement, but there should be national unity. Certainly, the founding fathers were principled, maybe even uncompromising. Somehow, they found agreement. Picture the men in wigs disrespecting each other to the point of failure… no Declaration, no Constitution, no country. We’d all be sipping Earl Grey.
Tercentenary
Most Americans know all of this and want more fringe, extreme rhetoric and division like a round redcoat bullet in the back. The not so friendly fire needs to cease.
There’s much to be said about mass technology and media when sourcing our collective discontent. It’s a topic for another day. For now, hold to what you believe if you choose to do so. But believe unity… yes, with disagreement and disappointment… is America’s best hope for a tercentenary. Maybe they’ll be wearing wigs again by then.
