Proud to be an American - By Rick Williams

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I am proud to be American – a citizen of the United States.

We are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of this country. We pause to remember and acknowledge who we are as Americans and what it means to be an “American.”

This moment, July 4th, 2026, is a time of uncertainty for many, and we have an unorthodox and controversial President. America’s position in the world is changing. Conflicts in the Middle East, including those involving Iran, are ongoing. Power and trade relationships between the US, Europe, China, and India are evolving to a world very different than the US and European centered world of the last 150 years.

The American Declaration of Independence reads,

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the Governed.

When I go to Costco or the supermarket on Saturday morning near Boston, I am not shopping with other people who look like me. The men, women, and kids are Hispanic, Asian, European, African, and Middle Eastern heritage. And they are American.

What makes them American is not that they have German, Chinese, Indian, or Welsh heritage. What makes them American is that they “hold these truths to be self-evident...”

  • All men are created equal
  • They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights
  • Among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness
  • Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the Governed.

These self-evident truths were extreme, radical, and revolutionary when written in 1776. They are still revolutionary in much of the world today.

Most Americans assume that the rest of the world is pretty much like the US. The civic and political systems of most countries are very different from those of the US. I am not just referring to Russia, China, Iran, and Cuba, where power is held by party elites and loyalty to the party and its doctrine are required. Even in Canada, political and civic culture is very different from that in the US.

Loud voices in the US today challenge whether we are living up to our ideals, and question whether we should proudly celebrate our country’s founding. I feel sad and disappointed hearing these voices and, at some level, shrug my shoulders at the ignorance of those who claim that we are a failing and declining society.

When I was young, I thought my parents were out of touch with the important issues facing the country. Only when I was older did I start appreciating what their generation accomplished. I also saw that few voices were willing to speak out and challenge the establishment. Most people played it safe and went along with the norms of the day.

The voices that speak today from a comfortable position about America’s shortcomings were silent when Martin Luther King marched in Selma, Alabama, and when chemical plant and oil refinery pollution and auto emissions were mostly unregulated. I joined 250,000 for the 1969 protest march against the Vietnam War in Washington, DC, when most celebrity, media, and establishment voices were silent.

It is easy to be for civil rights, environmental protection, women’s rights, and peace after the battle is won. Courage is required to challenge the establishment and elites when dissent comes with a price – ridicule, shaming, shadowbanning, fines, and arrest. Widespread efforts to limit or ban dissenting voices during the COVID pandemic are an unfortunate example of government and elite efforts to silence dissent.

Challenge and dissent are strengths of American society. We have high expectations for ourselves. We are stronger because every generation challenges us to become a society closer to our ideals and to use the freedom and opportunity we have to create an even better and “happier” society.

The generation of patriots who won the American Revolution and our independence from Britain, despite fierce domestic and foreign opposition, was the first “greatest generation.” We talk about the “greatest generation” that kept America going through the Depression of the 1930’s and then won World War II. That was my parents’ generation. I stand in awe of what they accomplished.

For this 250th anniversary celebration of our nation’s founding, I am also remembering the achievements of the post-World War II generations. I want to put on the record the accomplishments of my generation, the generations following mine, and the young people challenging us today.

Without armed rebellion, we dramatically moved American society closer to our ideals and created an innovative and economically successful society unique in the world and in human history.

We can and will grow closer towards our ideals, but this is a moment to pause and look back from the mountainside we have climbed and recognize how far we have come – what we have accomplished. Here are accomplishments that come to my mind.

  • Ended racial segregation in housing, education, and employment
  • Put astronauts on the moon
  • Established and implemented high environmental protection standards
  • Accepted women having rights equal to men including in sports
  • Defeated the Soviet Empire
  • Dramatically expanded the middle class and home ownership and reduced poverty
  • Re-Built Germany and Japan after World War II and kept them at peace with their neighbors
  • Accepted being gay as normal
  • Elected a black president
  • Became the center of technology innovation
  • Developed computers, the internet, smart phones, and essentially free worldwide communication
  • Revolutionized the fundamental understanding of medical science
  • Raised the wealth and standard of living for most Americans beyond that of comparable countries

Winston Churchill is credited with saying that, “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else.” Each of these accomplishments required risk takers who went against established norms and ways of thinking. We tried things that didn’t work before discovering what does work to make us a better society. Yes, advocates for these causes sometimes went to extremes that were counterproductive. But the broad American public, society, and political class eventually accepted these historic changes in our norms. We and the world have benefited from our scientific and technological innovation.

America is not perfect today and never will be. But we have plenty to celebrate, and our dynamic society gives me hope that we will do even better going forward.

To My Non-American Readers:

Many of my readers live outside the US. I am deeply grateful that you follow my writing. In this newsletter, I share my views about my country at an important moment in our history. I have worked and traveled widely outside the US and experienced our shared humanity and our hopes and pride in who we are. The FIFA World Cup games are an expression of the pride each of us has in the accomplishments of our fellow citizens and our country.

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