“This year, we celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary—and remember the ideals that make our nation great, like freedom to worship, speak, and pursue work we love. In this article, PBA Associate Professor of History Dr. Wes Borucki shares how we can reflect on our nation’s history and remain vigilant in holding fast to those ideals as our nation progresses.” — Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) President Dr. Debra A. Schwinn
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
This final line of the Declaration of Independence showed how the Revolutionary generation was willing to risk everything and place total faith in God for the ideals outlined in the document. The odds were long. The British had huge advantages: the strongest navy in the world to blockade the colonies; a well-organized army of 48,000 men in 1775, to be supplemented by 30,000 German mercenaries hired by George III and 25,000 Loyalist colonials; and gold reserves and a crucial banking infrastructure to fund a war effort that the rebels lacked.
Ideals for a New Nation
Yet the rebels overcame the odds and emerged with a new nation that, for the first time in history, was defined not by ethnicity or a crown, but by the Enlightenment ideals of individual natural rights and the social contract. The Founders knew well we are sinners prone to abuse those ideals; hence the Constitution was framed with a Bill of Rights attached, naming God-given rights against which human government cannot trespass.
Slavery and harsh, inconsistent policies toward American Indians were great national sins, but the ideals still stretched to unite the Atlantic and Pacific coasts within a brief 75 years of the nation’s founding. Civil War divided the nation, but slavery was eradicated while Lincoln insisted at Gettysburg that the ideal of popular government would be affirmed. The Civil Rights movements of the 20th century became an honest effort to atone for sins and make these ideals more inclusive, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “to cash a check” the Founders had written for future generations. In short, the nation has seen monumental change over 250 years, but the ideals have withstood. As we celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary this year, we remember the many sacrifices made by Americans before us.
Creating Space for Civility and Community
Founded in 1968 at a time of civil unrest, Palm Beach Atlantic University promised calm and reasoned discussion of our issues – “a rebellion against the rebellion,” as Founding President Dr. Jess Moody stated. PBA’s ideals of free discussion have stood firmly over time. Prayer in the classroom and weekly chapel opportunities set an environment for fruitful discussion, as we remember that we are brothers and sisters in Christ even when we disagree. We also celebrate the free enterprise system, which, since Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations the same year as our Declaration of Independence, has also been a success story. Like anything executed by us mortals, it is not perfect, but it has uplifted people from poverty by allowing for individual opportunity.
We all must be vigilant to keep our ideals strong. Freedom was won over time with toil and blood, but as President Reagan said in 1987, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It has to be fought for and defended by each generation.” Students must show willingness to read and study earnestly, instead of scrolling mindlessly or browsing the internet during classes. Free discussion cannot be fruitful unless all participants have the work ethic to study issues carefully—especially history so we are not doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past—and go beyond raw emotion. And we all must resist the threat artificial intelligence poses to academia and critical thinking.
There are pitfalls and challenges as we move forward, but at PBA, the shared belief in our Christian mission and our faith in God’s infinite benevolence make our outlook optimistic.
Dr. Wes Borucki teaches history and humanities at PBA. He specializes in the antebellum South, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Colonial America, and presidential history. He is the author of two books and several articles, and book reviews for several publications including The Journal of Southern History and The Alabama Review. He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Alabama, a master’s in history from the University of Massachusetts, and a bachelor’s in history from Michigan State University.