In July 1776, a group of Americans gathered in Philadelphia to rally around a radical idea. They were days away from challenging the tyranny of King George III with what was then the most revolutionary decree in history: “[All people] are created equal… they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 

That radical idea became the cornerstone of the great American experiment in human freedom. Our first 248 years can be defined by our society working to close the gap between the ideals articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the reality of living up to their promise.  

That commitment to striving to better live up to core American principles resulted in a gradual expansion of the “we” in “we the people” – unleashing an improvement in flourishing and progress beyond anything ever experienced in all of human history. An unprecedented number of people could build a life that was previously imaginable and live out the American dream.  

Yet as we approach the 250th anniversary of this great American experiment, our country finds itself at a crossroads: Who — and what — will define the American dream for the next 250 years? 

America at a crossroads 

Despite America’s progress, today more and more people feel like they’re being left behind – and understandably so. Social mobility is down. Educational achievement is down. Entrepreneurship is down. Even life expectancy is down. 

These declines have resulted in record numbers of people becoming resentful and giving up on the American dream, even questioning if it was ever real in the first place. When they see America, they see a place where only some people have a chance to get ahead, not where everyone can succeed. And they question if America’s founding principles still apply. 

This uncertainty has fueled a competition for the future of our country, said Stand Together Vice President Sarah Cross. “In its simplest terms, the present debate is between two very different visions,” she said. “Will the core American principles of bottom-up empowerment expressed in the Declaration of Independence continue to guide our country for the next 250 years? Or, when the going gets tough, will we abandon those principles for a top-down approach of power and control?” 

America has encountered similar crossroads before, from the abolition of slavery to women’s suffrage and the movement for civil rights. Each time, we’ve emerged from our darkest moments when people rallied around solutions based on core American principles that unlocked a new era of progress and opportunity. And despite the toxic polarization we see all around us today, a look beneath the surface reveals there’s reason to be optimistic. 

The illusion of disunion 

Research by Populace shows our divisions are actually collective illusions, a phenomenon when most people in a group go along with an idea they don’t agree with because they mistakenly believe most people in a group believe the same. This forces people to publicly say and do things they don’t really agree with.  

That’s precisely what happens in America today. The political extremes are so loud that most believe our differences are irreconcilable. But this is not true.   

Americans not only share the same values and goals but are also eager to do their part and help their communities.  

That spirit of mutual benefit and solving problems from the bottom up is a hallmark of the American experiment. French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville noted with awe how Americans banded together as a community and found local solutions to local issues — instead of waiting for faraway bureaucrats to solve their problems for them. 

That’s how we transformed our promise in 1776 into a living reality – and continue to do so.