Americans Reflect on 250 Years: ‘Awesome,’ ‘Sad,’ and Everything In Between

 As the United States marks its 250th birthday, many Americans are choosing to tune out the partisan clamor from Washington and the relentless noise of social media. Instead, they are turning inward, celebrating their own personal visions of a nation they still hold dear.

In interviews with the Associated Press in the days leading up to the Fourth of July, citizens expressed a mix of tempered pride, quiet resilience, and underlying concern — a far cry from the brash confidence often associated with the American character.

Auto technician Joe Fuqua-Bejarano, speaking from a bustling fireworks stand in Topeka, Kansas, pointed to resilience as the true source of what makes Americans “awesome.”

“We’ve just all got to find unity somewhere, whether that’s in laughter or perseverance, and keep everybody cool,” he said.

Christina Zhou, a 25-year-old research assistant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, acknowledged the many points of national contention but chose to focus on what she can control. “There are still a lot of beautiful things that are happening,” she said. “I’m trying to think about just things that are happening locally.”

‘We’re just happy Americans’

In Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, farmer Mindy Dean, 50, plans a simple celebration: milking goats with her family and perhaps catching local fireworks — or maybe skipping the fanfare altogether. “We’re just happy Americans,” she said. “We kinda do our own thing and just enjoy our freedom.”

Others embraced the history more enthusiastically. In Boston, 81-year-old retiree Neil Casey and his friend Maureen Regan toured historic sites like Paul Revere’s house and soaked up the city’s Fourth of July events. Regan took heart from the international visitors who flocked to the U.S. for the World Cup.

“They love everything we have,” she said, “and I want people to not forget that and remember how lucky we are.” Her advice: “Just enjoy the moment. Enjoy that we’ve been here for 250 years.”

When patriotism feels partisan

For some, however, the celebrations feel inescapably politicized. Madeline Capodilupo, a 26-year-old special-education teacher in Boston, said the holiday now carries a partisan tint. “When you’re celebrating the Fourth of July right now, it feels like that’s like a Republican thing to do,” she noted, planning instead to spend the weekend at her fiancé’s family beach house in Maine. “It’s just hard to celebrate something when it doesn’t feel like we should be celebrating anything.”

Honoring the promise

At Detroit’s Eastern Market, Ronald Hall — who served 18 months in the Air Force toward the end of the Vietnam War — and his wife Karen, a Desert Storm veteran, reflected on a lifetime of celebrating American ideals. As a Black man, Hall said he has always focused on the nation’s promise rather than its imperfections.

“I grew up remembering the promise,” he said. “That’s what we celebrated: the promise, not the country.”

Veterans’ faith is tested

At the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton, residents are looking forward to a community celebration featuring a Black Hawk helicopter, a World War II ambulance, food trucks, music, and even Uncle Sam on stilts. Yet even these proud patriots voiced unease.

Leo LeClerc, 83, an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam, still believes America is “the greatest country that ever existed” and that its democracy will endure “as long as people participate in it.” But he added, “I don’t like what’s going on in this country,” and feels troubled by what he sees as a “cult of personality” surrounding the president.

Tom Gaumont, 74, an Army veteran and former history teacher, recalled the more hopeful bicentennial of 1976. Now, he feels a deeper sadness. “I’m kinda sad at this point with what I anticipate,” he said. “We’ve lasted this long, and this is a very existential time in our history.”

Allan Bailey, 83, another Vietnam veteran, echoed that concern: “I’m worried about how the country is going... I don’t know what we’re going to leave our children, and that bothers me a lot.”

A hopeful newcomer’s view

In Dearborn, Michigan, Nabeel Mawari, 38, a security guard and immigrant from Yemen who is now a U.S. citizen, offered a more optimistic perspective. While working on the Fourth, he reflected on the life he has built here.

“My life is here,” Mawari said. “We try to make the U.S.A. the greatest. That’s why I’m here. I love this country. The Fourth of July, it is very important.”

Keeping democracy going

Meanwhile, caricaturist Gary MacGrath, 77, found himself literally positioned between Democratic and Republican booths at a suburban Philadelphia fair. Drawing on years of bartending wisdom, he avoided political talk but offered a simple wish for the milestone: “It’s 250 years. Let’s keep democracy going.”