Fourth of July tension: citizenship, church-state, and unity

As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of Independence Day, letters and commentary reflect sharply divided views on what America is for—ranging from a Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship to warnings about the erosion of church-state separation an

Saturday’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is arriving with a familiar heaviness: Americans arguing not just about politics, but about identity—what the country means, and who it’s really meant to serve.

In one letter. Dominic Calabrese. an adjunct professor at Columbia College. looked back to his eighth-generation ancestor. William Jacob Maness. Jr. who fought in the Revolutionary War as a member of North Carolina’s Continental Army. Calabrese said he often asks whether William would have fought again in 1776 if he could see America 250 years later—and answered that he believes he would. Calabrese also argued that America remains a place of opportunity for “millions upon millions” who come to fulfill their dreams. while criticizing the “current administration” for being “not in sync” with the idea of immigrants playing a positive role in shaping the nation. He added that America’s uniqueness is rooted in people from around the world—“from Scotland” to newcomers from Mexico. Colombia. Vietnam. or Senegal—and ended with “God Bless the USA and Happy Independence Day!”.

Not everyone was able to meet the milestone with optimism. Curt Fredrikson of Mokena wrote that he expects this July Fourth to feel “the hollowest-feeling” of his life. saying he may wear a “Don’t assume that you still live in a free country” T-shirt. Tony Galati of Lemont said he remembers 1976 as a “spectacular” bicentennial year. but described the current stretch as “incredibly depressing. ” saying he finds himself wishing the year was over. Christine Anderson of Jefferson Park offered a more combative poem—“Dear America”—with lines including “Foaming at the mouth. ‘I can’t breathe. ’” and a question of whether the country will reach “peace and equity; / Of penance and humility; / Of death to tyranny.”.

For those who did not see the day as merely symbolic. one letter pointed directly to a legal decision they said will shape what “America” means for families entering the country’s future. Karina Ayala-Bermejo. president and CEO of Instituto del Progreso Latino. wrote that the Fourth of July will include celebration of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold birthright citizenship and reaffirm protections of the 14th Amendment. She described the ruling as a reaffirmation that the United States can be home to people who dare to leave their birthplace because of “a lack of economic opportunity. ” “political turmoil. ” “persecution. ” or “climate change. ” and said children born in the country are “indeed. American.”.

Ayala-Bermejo, a naturalized U.S. citizen, wrote that she knows firsthand how citizenship “opens doors” and helps people “plant our roots” and feel belonging. She said Instituto del Progreso Latino has hosted naturalization ceremonies “filled with joy and tears. ” and supported parents with U.S.-born children “beginning their lives with the rights and protections guaranteed by our Constitution.” She added that the Court’s decision “instills hope” and tied it to the constitutional rights she said enabled the “rich cultures” of many countries to influence one another and shape the America people celebrate.

Others used the holiday to broaden the definition of responsibility beyond courts and borders—toward the environment and the institutions that protect it. Murphy Westwood. vice president of Science and Conservation at the Morton Arboretum. wrote that as America turns 250. oaks are among the few living beings that “bear witness” to history. Westwood said the country contains more than 90 species of oaks and described their ecological role. from live oaks in the southeast and valley oaks in California to the white oak. Illinois’ state tree. She said birds, mammals, and insects rely on oaks and that their acorns supply food for wildlife.

Westwood also pointed to climate and public health benefits in urban areas. including Chicago—saying oak trees reduce air pollution. provide shade during hotter summers. and help mitigate flooding. She said scientists at the Morton Arboretum have studied oaks for decades and that the institution positioned Chicago as a global hub for oak research and conservation. Westwood cited a range-wide experiment of bur oaks underway at the arboretum and in Minnesota and Oklahoma “to see how oaks may evolve in response to climate change.” She also described the arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative. which plants and cares for trees in areas that need them most. and said the initiative often provides native oaks.

In addition. Westwood said the arboretum contributes to the Chicago Wilderness Alliance’s Oak Ecosystems Recovery Plan. working to preserve and connect small. isolated oak habitat patches across a seven-county region. She said development and invasive shrubs have crowded out oak habitat that requires space and sunlight. Globally. Westwood wrote that the world’s 450-plus oak species face challenges from land development. climate change. disease. and overharvesting. and she said the arboretum and collaborators conserve oaks “in biodiversity hot spots” through the Global Conservation Consortium for Oak. which the arboretum leads.

Yet the most direct moral tension came from letters insisting that national pride cannot be separated from the country’s record of abuse and exclusion. Wes Dickson of Orland Park wrote that on July Fourth. people should be “intellectually and socially honest” and tell “the whole story. ” saying America is lucky to live here but that marginalized people have been treated “horrifically” at various times in the country’s history. Dickson wrote that ignoring dark moments serves only to repeat them. and invoked a line attributed to George Santayana: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”.

Dickson said government-sanctioned abuse “runs the gamut from slavery and the Trail of Tears” to what he called the “recent gutting and attempted elimination of diversity. equity and inclusion programs.” He also cited Supreme Court decisions he said include Dred Scott v Standford in 1857 and Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. Dickson pointed to what he described as “systemic attacks and institutionalized suspicion” against people who don’t fit a certain definition of appearance. beliefs. or behavior. He referenced what he called “vivid examples” including what happened to the LGBTQ+ community at Stonewall in 1969 and the Pulse nightclub in 2016.

He then contrasted those accounts with international rankings he cited: saying the United States ranks No. 1 in the world for money and military might. but ranks 23rd in happiness and “dead last or near the bottom” for healthcare access and outcomes. Dickson wrote that the country has “conquered capitalism. ” but still faces unfinished work on fairness and freedom. and ended with a wish that by 2076—when Americans would celebrate the tricentennial—leaders can claim No. 1 in all rankings. pairing it with the Golden Rule attributed to Confucius: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”.

In a separate letter. Steve Parsons of Edison Park argued for constitutional protection of separation between church and state amid efforts he linked to a “Religious Liberty Commission.” Parsons wrote that Article VI. Clause 3 of the Constitution prohibits the government from requiring any federal official to profess any specific religion. or any religion at all. and included the quote: “…but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” Parsons also cited the First Amendment’s language that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”.

Parsons added that Article 11 of the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli declares the United States is “not. in any sense. founded on the Christian religion.” He wrote that it was drafted to reassure Muslim nations that America was a secular state. and said it was drafted to reassure Muslim nations. He specified that the U.S. Senate unanimously ratified the treaty on June 7, 1797, and it was signed by President John Adams on June 10, 1797.

He connected the legal principles to earlier European and American religious conflicts. listing the English Civil War. the Thirty Years’ War in Europe. persecution of Baptists in Virginia. Quakers in Massachusetts and Maryland. and what he described as “the violent civil war between Catholics and Protestants.” He also said the founding generation understood the violence religious differences can create and believed Americans could not build a united country without learning to live together peacefully.

Parsons then quoted George Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island. He wrote that Washington assured the Jewish community of religious freedom. quoting Washington: “May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants — while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.” Parsons closed by saying the words are worth celebrating.

Taken together, the messages surrounding the country’s 250th birthday sketch a public square that refuses a single mood. For some. the celebration centers on immigration and citizenship secured under the 14th Amendment—an argument that America’s promise endures by widening access to rights. For others, the milestone carries dread: a sense that freedom is being questioned, weakened, or made conditional. And for others still. the holiday is a reminder that the country cannot claim its ideals without confronting how those ideals were denied—along with what laws. constitutional boundaries. and institutions must protect them going forward.

Fourth of July 250th anniversary Declaration of Independence birthright citizenship 14th Amendment Supreme Court separation of church and state Article VI First Amendment Treaty of Tripoli George Washington immigration immigrants