"Two Hundred and Fifty Years!"

 Happy Mothers’ Day!

 

Yesterday was the 81^st Anniversary of the unconditional surrender of Germany. That victory was followed by the re-building of Europe, led by the generosity of the United States through the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine.

 

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I recognize that Independence Day is almost two months in the future, but I don’t believe it is too early to be thinking of the magnitude of what was created in Philadelphia in 1776. 

 

Two hundred and fifty years is a long time. Two hundred and fifty years from now it will be 2276, a future as unimaginable to us as 2026 would have been to the Founders in 1776. Yet here we are, and with luck and forbearance our great-grandchildrens’ great-grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren, may be around to celebrate the quincentenary of the Declaration of Independence.

 

Sydney M. Williams

www.swtotd.blogspot.com

 

Thought of the Day

“Two Hundred and Fifty Years!”

May 9, 2026

 

“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.”

                                                                                                                George Washington (1732-1799)

                                                                                                                Letter to James Madison

                                                                                                                March 2, 1788

 

On July 4 we will celebrate the semiquincentennial (250^th anniversary) of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This is not a celebration of the start of Revolution, which began more than a year earlier in Lexington and Concord. Nor is it to celebrate the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781. And it is not to commemorate the signing of the Constitution, which occurred in September 1787, nor to mark the ratification of the Bill of Rights by the thirteen states in June 1788. And this year’s festivities are not to memorialize the inauguration of George Washington as the new Nation’s first President in April 1789. 

 

It is the Declaration of Independence we celebrate. It represented the severance of the colonies’ obedience to the British Empire. In a speech at the University of Texas in Austin on April 15, 2026 Justice Clarence Thomas stated: “The Constitution is the means of government; it is the Declaration that announces the ends of government.” Fifty-six delegates from thirteen British colonies put their signatures to a document that terminated the political bonds that had connected them to the British Empire, then the most powerful in the world. In doing so, they pledged to each other “our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” Had the Revolution failed, it is likely that all fifty-six would have been hung for treason.

 

The Declaration was unique at the time (and is still so today), in that the delegates believed that “Truths” were “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.” Recognizing the wisdom of James Madison, “...if men were angels, no government would be necessary,” the Declaration calls for a government to be established to secure those rights, one created by consent of the governed, and one that “...should not be changed for light and transient Causes.” The bulk of the Declaration is a list grievances, and it ends with the declaration “that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent States.” 

 

Of course, given the time and place, all fifty-six delegates were white men of British heritage. Eight were immigrants, but all from the British Isles. They had an average age of forty-four, which seems young, but average life expectancy at the time was under forty. Nevertheless, there was diversity. Among them were lawyers, planters, doctors, merchants and farmers. They included both slave holders and abolitionists. While most were Protestants, their numbers included two Quakers and a Catholic.

 

From the perspective of 250 years, we can find fault with some of the men, but we should judge those who created this document by the standards of their time, and we should be cognizant of change over time. We should recognize regional differences, that travel was primitive by our standards. For example, in 1776 it took anywhere from two to four weeks to travel from Williamsburg, Virginia to Boston, Massachusetts. The Declaration was drafted by five men from five different colonies: Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert Livingston of New York, and Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania. Drafting took weeks and debate was often raucous. 

 

All fifty-six delegates were sons of the Enlightenment, which by the late 18^th Century was in its final innings, with reason and science rejecting blind faith; yet the Founders believed God – not the state – to be guarantor of our unalienable rights. That belief held true for most of our Nation’s existence. In the June 7, 1944 issue of The New York Times (the day after D-Day) the editors wrote of the U.S.: “This nation was born in the only revolution in history made in the name of God.” Belief in a Higher Being persisted over the years. In November 1863, President Abraham Lincoln invoked God in his Gettysburg Address: “...that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” On June 26, 1876, celebrating the Centennial, President Ulysses Grant spoke in Washington: “...acknowledgement should be made to Almighty God for the protection and the bounties which He has vouchsafed to our beloved country.”  President Calvin Coolidge, in speaking on the Nation’s sesquicentennial on July 5, 1926, spoke of the “miracle of the birth of a new nation.” And President Gerald Ford, on the occasion of the Bicentennial Ceremony on July 4, 1976, said: “The Declaration is the Polaris of our political order – the fixed star of freedom. It is impervious to change because it states moral truths that are eternal.”

 

These men and others conceived of and created a government that still stands. It is a government composed of three separate but equal branches, designed to prevent the concentration of power. It is a nation based on law, not men. It is a government that honors individual liberty, values meritocracy, regardless of gender, skin color, or religion. And it is a government accountable to the people.

 

Today, as we remember our Country’s forefathers, belief in God is waning; there is concern that our democratic institutions are failing. Our politicians have become polarized. Our news outlets no longer report dispassionately but rather speak and write passionately in favor of one side or the other. Identity politics have divided us into victims and victimizers, the oppressed and oppressors. Sixty-two years after the Civil Rights Act was passed there are politicians who wield racism as a political tool. And, frighteningly, anti-Semitism is on the rise. There are threats, from both the left and the right, to the principles that infused the fifty-six men who met in Philadelphia 250 years ago to debate their (and our) future.  

 

Yet the draw of the United States remains strong: It is the preferred destination for migrants. Among the world’s major developed nations, its population ranks at the top in terms of diversity. Its universities are among the best in the world. Capitalism allows innovation to soar, productivity to gain, and standards of living to reach heights unimaginable to our forefathers. There is no country in the world with a population over ten million who ranks as high as the U.S. in terms of GDP per capita. Despite political bickering between Parties, and the cynicism and partisanship that that bickering gives birth to, political power has swung back and forth. In the 126 years since 1900, Republicans have served as President for 66 years and Democrats for 60. Democrats have controlled both the House and the Senate more often than Republicans but not by a large margin. Likewise, the Supreme Court has leant both towards conservatives and progressives. This dynamic indicates a country where political change is, in fact, moderate and welcomed – unlike the situations in countries from where migrants emigrate. 

 

The United States is not perfect. It is (and always has been) a work in progress. The challenge, as James Madison warned, is that men are not angels, neither the governed nor governors. It is why individual liberty and limited government, with separation of powers, have been critical to our success; it is why no branch of government should have superiority over another, and why rule of law has prevailed. Despite constant challenges, the architects of the Declaration of Independence produced a document that has guided our country for two and a half centuries. The Declaration set in motion the birth of a nation that is (and has been) exceptional, one unique in the annals of history. Those of us who live here are truly blessed.

"Discrimination"

 

Photo: “Clover,” the cat who was invited for dinner.

 

On Saturday I expect to send you my tribute to our nation’s 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Thought of the Day

“Discrimination”

May 6, 2026

 

“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race

is to stop discriminating on the basis of race”

                                                                      John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court

                                                                      Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No.1

                                                                       June 28, 2007

 

The 6-3 Supreme Court decision on April 29 in Louisiana v. Callais prompted Reuters reporter John Kruzel to write: “In a 6-3 ​ruling on Wednesday, powered by its conservative justices, the court gutted what scholars said was the last remaining pillar of the landmark law (The Voting Rights Act of 1965) enacted after the ‘Bloody Sunday’ march in Selma, Alabama with the aim of ‌preventing racial discrimination in voting.” 

 

Similar allegations were made by reporters for Politico, the Washington Post and the New York Times. While I am not a lawyer, I believe these reporters could not be more wrong. The Voting Rights Act (VRA) was implemented to ensure that no obstacles could be imposed to restrict the right of anyone qualified to vote. The Court ruling said that districts could not be drawn on the basis of race. The VRA does not ensure proportional representation by race. The decision said simply that race-based congressional districts are unconstitutional, something one would have thought would have been agreeable to anyone who disapproves of discrimination. The decision upheld the XV Amendment that prohibits racial discrimination in voting.

 

The Constitution mandates that a census take place every ten years for the purpose of apportioning congressional representation. The next one will take place in 2030. Per the 2020 Census, Texas gained two seats, and one each were gained by Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon. California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia each lost a seat. Reapportionment requires re-districting. But the problem relates to racial gerrymandering, which is prohibited under the Voting Rights Act. Political (read partisan) gerrymandering is apparently legal and does take place. It gives the majority party an advantage. The practice dates back to the early 19^th Century.

 

Discrimination is ubiquitous. In the pursuit of racial, gender, and religious diversity, colleges, universities and employers have justified discrimination over meritocracy by claiming that for too long women and minorities had been denied education and job opportunities. There is no question that was once true. But the Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed the law. Having grown up in a small, homogenous New England town and then having spent my working career in New York City, I appreciate the value diversity brings to one’s life. But today’s Progressives are battling a war that was won sixty-years ago. Roles have switched. Today, discriminating against meritocracy and excellence is unfair and just plain wrong.

 

It is in our public schools, especially those in inner cities, where discrimination has also festered. Like most people, I believe everyone should be given an equal opportunity to succeed, even while recognizing that some children have an edge – the wealthy have more choices in terms of where to live and where to educate their children. Life is never completely fair, which is why government can and should ensure that all children have access to the best public-school education possible. That should include options: charter schools, Catholic schools and private schools. Competition, including among schools, is fundamental to the success of our capitalist/democratic society. It provides better quality, better pricing, and better outcomes. 

 

Yet the people who call for more diversity in colleges and the workplace are the same ones who deny lower-and middle-income parents’ choice when it comes to education. This is especially true in ‘Blue’ states and large inner cities where the political influence of two major teachers’ unions, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), exceeds that of parents and their school-age children. One consequence has been declining scores in reading and math. According to Education Week, 40% of fourth-graders and 33% of eighth-graders perform below the “basic” level in reading. Only a third of fourth and eighth-graders perform as “proficient” or “advanced” in math. The biggest declines in both reading and math have been for those in the lowest decile. According to the National Literacy Institute, 70% of low-income fourth-graders read below the “basic” level. Those most discriminated against are minorities.

 

Democracy, unrestrained, offers the opportunity to rise (and fall) economically and socially. Discrimination works to maintain the status quo – the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. A unique quality of the American experience has been the ability for people, born in poverty, to rise due to aspiration, intelligence, focus and diligence. We all have individual tastes and preferences, but state-sanctioned discrimination, whether in the voting booth, colleges, businesses, or in denying school choice is destructive to individual freedom.

"May"

 The photo: flowers outside our entrance at Essex Meadows, welcoming us to spring and to the month.

 

Amidst all the turmoil in the world, it is nice to take a moment to reflect on the month of May, and on our great good luck to be living in this nation at this time.

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

More Essays from Essex

“May”

May 1, 2026

 

“There is May in books forever;

May will part from Spencer never;

May’s in Milton, May’s in Prior,

May’s in Chaucer, Thomson, Dyer,

May’s in all the Italian books: – 
She has old and modern nooks...”

                                                                                                                “May and the Poets,” c.1812

                                                                                                                Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)

 

May is named for the Roman goddess Maia, daughter of Atlas and mother of Hermes; thus the right month to celebrate Mothers’ Day, as we will on May 10. Maia was the nurturer of plants and was associated with fertility and springtime. Students, cooped up in dorms and classrooms during the long winter, would, on the first of May, chant: “Hooray! Hooray! Outdoor sporting starts today!” It is a month when newly-blossomed flowers offer thanks for April’s showers. It is the month for graduations – a granddaughter’s from high school this year, along with a granddaughter and grandson from college. It is the month in which my parents were married eighty-eight years ago, and one in which a brother and granddaughter were born. 

 

While the summer solstice arrives on June 21, whiffs of summer appear in May. It is when Connecticut’s state flower, mountain laurel, bursts into bloom, and when lilacs and rhododendrons provide fragrance to a newly-wakened Earth. It is when trees become fully clothed, in their summer-green finery.

 

May Day, the first of May, commemorates the fight for labor rights. Its origin stems from the May 4, 1886 Chicago Haymarket Affair, when a confrontation between striking workers, primarily from the McCormick Harvester Machine Company, and the police turned violent. It was a date usurped by the Soviet Union to display socialist solidarity, industrial achievements and military strength. As an aside, the distress signal “Mayday! Mayday!” has nothing to do with the month. Instead, it originates from the French phrase m’aider! m’aider!, meaning help me.   

 

May is a month celebrated by poets, like Leigh Hunt, in the epigraph above, and a month noted in history: On May 10, 1869 the Golden Spike was driven into a rail tie at Council Bluffs, Utah, completing the first transcontinental railroad. Sixty-two years later, on May 1, 1931, construction on the Empire State – then the world’s tallest building – was completed. After causing the deaths of almost 40 million people over five and a half years, Victory in Europe arrived on May 8, 1945. Nine years later, on May 6, 1954, medical student Roger Bannister, became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. And on May 25, 1961 President John F. Kennedy announced the goal of landing a man on the moon. Five years later, on May 30, 1966, the unmanned Surveyor 1 landed on the moon. (It would be another three years and two months – July 20, 1969 – before Neil Armstrong and Aldrin actually walked on the moon.)

 

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And, as this essay was begun on a cold March day, I know that one of the best things about May is that it is not March.