We work to ensure a secure retirement for Americans and preserve and advance the American Dream every day. But sometimes it’s good to step back a little and recall the living national heritage that is the backdrop behind our efforts and the amazing society of which those we serve are a vital part.
We’re 238 this year, still comparatively young as a society and nation. We grow, and change, as the Founders and the institutions they established anticipated. And yet there are timeless principles that lend a stable foundation upon which ever-adapted edifices can stand, changing and yet at the same time impervious to the vagaries of time and passing circumstance.
Following are some sights and sounds that capture the celebration of our independence and one of the world’s biggest birthday parties.
• Whitney Houston’s rendition of the National Anthem at the Superbowl in 1991
• Ray Charles’ rendition of “America the Beautiful”
• The conclusion of “A Capitol Fourth” held on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building
• The signing of the Declaration of Independence at the conclusion of the movie “1776”
How better to conclude than with the prophetic words that John Adams, then U.S. Minister to Great Britain, wrote in a letter to Count Sarsfield on Feb. 3, 1786:
It has ever been my hobby-horse to see rising in America an empire of liberty, and a prospect of two or three hundred millions of freemen, without one noble or one king among them. You say it is impossible. If I should agree with you in this, I would still say, let us try the experiment, and preserve our equality as long as we can.
Enjoy your holiday. We’ll be back on Monday — and don’t forget: on Monday we’ll be relaunching NAPA Net on a new platform, including a simple, one-time registration process for NAPA members. For more on the relaunch, click here.
