The Complexities of Commemorating National Birth

Efforts to celebrate the nation’s birth have faced challenges due to debates over the appropriate way to mark this occasion. George Orwell famously stated, “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” Altering historical narratives can help current leaders justify their actions and maintain power.

President Donald Trump’s administration has shown interest in managing historical narratives. Actions like staging events on the White House grounds highlight this focus. Recently, a legal dispute arose in Philadelphia about historical sites and slavery. An executive order aimed at removing content perceived as disparaging to America led to the removal of displays at the President’s House Site. These displays documented the people enslaved by George Washington. Initially, a federal judge mandated the restoration of these displays, but the appeals court later allowed their removal.

The administration’s attempt to alter perceptions of slavery is ongoing. Concerns also exist about potential changes at the Smithsonian, often considered “the nation’s attic,” as it holds many historical items. A March 2025 executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” criticized the Smithsonian for promoting narratives highlighting American and Western values as harmful. The order tasked Vice President JD Vance and former aide Lindsey Halligan with removing “improper ideology.”

Deciding what constitutes “improper” ideology can vary. Frederick Douglass, in a speech on July 5, 1852, highlighted the contradictions in celebrating American independence while practicing slavery. To him, such celebrations marked hypocrisy.

Douglass remained optimistic about the nation’s founding documents. He believed the U.S. Constitution, when correctly interpreted, embodied liberty. After the Dred Scott decision, he still saw hope, arguing that the Constitution’s promise would eventually clash with slavery’s infamy.

As a patriotic American, I view the Fourth of July with aspirations for the nation’s improvement. Like Douglass, I hold the Constitution in high regard and appreciate recent legal rulings, like the Supreme Court’s decision on birthright citizenship. The debates over the Constitution’s interpretation and the pursuit of a “more perfect union” continue.