All of us at Spirit of America hope you enjoy a joyous celebration of America’s 250th. I wanted to share a few reflections.

I was born in Philadelphia. We took special pride in being from our nation’s birthplace. I remember celebrating America’s 200th at my parents’ house. Most of the family was there. I woke that day to the sound of my sister Nancy in the backyard ringing a bell yelling “Happy Birthday, America!!!”

Growing up we had a copy of the Declaration of Independence on the stairway up to the bedrooms. After seeing it daily for 18 years, I noticed Nancy had somehow signed it before it was framed. “Nancy Hake” was right under George Walton’s signature. As far as I know, my sister was the only woman to have signed the Declaration.

The World’s Best Idea
Our Declaration of Independence includes what has been called the greatest sentence ever written: “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.”

The Declaration of Independence, as adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 (Photo by: the National Archives).

I understand that the idea of America — our Declaration, founding ideals, and government of, by, and for the people — is the world’s best idea.

One of the best parts of Spirit of America is that we get to work with people all over the world who are inspired by the idea of America. In the last few months, I’ve spent time with Ukrainian teenagers, soldiers and artists in the Philippines, and business leaders in Taiwan who share our values and our commitment to the idea of America. It’s very good news. We are not alone. The promise of a free and better life inspires them. And, they inspire all of us at Spirit of America.

Service
That idea of America has led to freedom, peace, and prosperity unprecedented in human history. But that only happened because generations — in and out of uniform — have served and sacrificed to defend and fulfill the promise of the idea of America.

I’m often asked if I think America is exceptional. What America stands for is exceptional and always will be. We have to earn exceptional through our actions and our service every day.

Working Together
Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration. I imagine he thought he nailed it. He was, after all, a supremely gifted thinker and writer. When Jefferson shared his draft with Benjamin Franklin, this is what came back.

Ben Franklin’s markup of Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence (Photo by: the Thomas Jefferson Foundation).

Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776 (Painting by: Jean Leon Gerome Ferris).

Working together, overcoming our differences, and serving something bigger than ourselves is the only reason we have a country and the freedoms we enjoy today.

We are celebrating 250 years of the idea of America. It is the world’s best idea. Despite our challenges, we have that going for us — it is an incredible gift and advantage. Serving and working together, we will keep the American experiment going strong.

Happy Independence Day!

Jim Hake
Founder and CEO