This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
Between the lazy days of summer and our country’s upcoming 250th birthday, a well-curated booklist is essential for all families. There are always a bevy of new titles hitting the market, and while several usually emerge that will stand the test of time, I find that the classics are classics for a reason. Just as our nation has seen the inevitable sweep of time and stood strong, so have many of the selections I will be sharing with you.
They may not be the most modern or popular in 2026, but they are still recommended because they offer a beautiful tapestry of our national story. These aren’t simply books about the founding, although you’ll see an emphasis on that time period. They highlight early America and what it looked like day to day. There are, of course, thousands of books I could recommend, but this is a start. 
It’s my hope that you might encounter a piece of literature that is completely new to you and leave its final page with even more hope and admiration for America than when you read the first sentence.
Picture books &amp; read-alouds (ages 3–6)
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty. This book is a simple first introduction to the courage it took to cross an ocean for the promise of a new home.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The First Thanksgiving by Jean Craighead George. This retelling gives life to the first feast between the Pawtuxet Indians and the Pilgrims.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall (with gorgeous drawings from my favorite illustrator, Barbara Cooney). This is a quiet portrait of the seasons and work that shaped early New England life — from weaving linens to sheering sheep. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Fourth of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh. The perfect read-aloud for the holiday itself, this book explains the Declaration in words even your youngest can understand. Head back to the Revolutionary period and see how the 13 colonies learned of their independence. (Everything by Dalgliesh is worth reading!)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A Picture Book of George Washington by David A. Adler. This is the story of the father of our country, from surveyor to first president. It cover facts and his biography from his early life through becoming our first commander and chief.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?, Can&#8217;t You Make Them Behave, King George?, Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? by Jean Fritz. Fritz has a way of making American history incredibly witty and re-readable in each of these books. No wonder she’s a Newberry Award winner.</li>
</ul>
Ages 7–9
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A Child&#8217;s First Book of American History by Earl Schenck Miers. This book is a very readable overview that ties the whole national story together in one volume — captivating illustrations, too! (This would provide a lovely spine for a whole year of study if you homeschool.)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla. Follow Amanda Freebold and her brother and sister as they brave the Atlantic to reach Jamestown and find their father after their mother’s death. It&#8217;s a tale of loyalty set in the colonial era.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern. This fun picture book answers everyday questions children have about Pilgrim life in question-and-answer format. It can also be read to little kids, who will love the intricacy of the illustrations.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Rascal by Sterling North. A boy and his raccoon in small-town Wisconsin capture the freedom and wonder of an early American boyhood. Don’t let the girls miss out on this one, though; my 11-year-old daughter loved it!</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Pocahontas by Ingri &amp; Edgar Parin d&#8217;Aulaire. This is a beautifully illustrated retelling (as all d’Aulaire books are) of the life of a historical legend. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh. A young girl in 1707 keeps her father company on the Connecticut frontier, which tests her bravery. This is short chapter book and perfect for struggling readers. It can be read in an afternoon!</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds. This is a true colonial tale of a boy who guards his family on the frontier, set in New York in 1756. Another short, engaging read!</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Ben and Me by Robert Lawson. As told by Benjamin Franklin&#8217;s mouse, this is a delightful, funny look at Franklin&#8217;s genius through the eyes of his littlest companion. If you have a creative child who loves to invent new things, this is perfect.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates. The true life of At-mun, an enslaved African who was taken at the age of 15 by slave traders and you eventually purchased his freedom and lived out his days with quiet strength and wisdom. I would also recommend older children read this; it will be an easy read, but the story is profound.</li>
</ul>
Ages 10–12
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Captain&#8217;s Dog by Roland Smith. The great westward expedition is seen through the eyes of Seaman the dog as he travels alongside Lewis and Clark. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Of Plymouth Plantation (abridged) by William Bradford. This is a real Pilgrim governor&#8217;s firsthand account, bringing children straight to the source. It was written between 1630 and 1647 and covers historical events such as encounters with the Native Americans, surviving the harsh winters, landing in places along the way, and travel woes.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Calico Bush by Rachel Field. A French girl who comes to America as an indentured servant makes a new life on the Maine frontier during Colonial America, providing a tale outlining the importance of courage through hardship.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Yankee Doodle Boy by Joseph Plumb Martin. Another true account, this book tells of the Revolution through the eyes of the boys who actually fought. It&#8217;s an incredible primary source for children.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Toliver&#8217;s Secret by Esther Wood Brady. A timid 10-year-old girl carries a secret message through enemy lines during the Revolutionary War straight into the hands of George Washington. Perfect for your plucky daughter!</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Bulletproof George Washington by David Barton. This is a retelling of Washington&#8217;s survival in multiple battles and the providence displayed throughout his life.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Story of My Life by Helen Keller. This is the triumphant memoir of an American who overcame many obstacles through perseverance. Keller wrote this candid work at the age of 22, but younger readers will benefit from hearing her own words as she chronicles her many struggles.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. This is a classic Civil War tale that follows one young soldier&#8217;s hard journey from boyhood into manhood as he finds himself having to become part of the Union Army in a war he doesn’t want to fight in.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Boys&#8217; War by Jim Murphy. This is a sobering look at the very young soldiers who served on both sides. (A note: This book discusses children who fought in the Civil War. Depending on the age of your child, it might be best if you read it with them.)</li>
</ul>
Ages 13+
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare. A boy alone on the Maine frontier forms an unlikely friendship as he waits for him father to return to the cabin where he is staying. Adventure awaits!</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. The Revolution comes alive through a Boston apprentice swept into the cause of liberty after a tragic accident causes him to lose his beloved job and change course. This is a must-read: an electric coming-of-age tale for both boys and girls! </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham. The true story of a self-taught American sailor whose grit still guides ships to this day. I would also recommend the audiobook, read by Jim Weiss.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington. A powerful American testament from a former slave as he writes about four decades of his life. This should be required high school reading.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">George Washington&#8217;s World by Genevieve Foster. Set in the years 1732-1799, this is a panoramic look at everything happening across the globe during Washington&#8217;s lifetime. (I would also recommend Foster’s other American history books!)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass. This is a firsthand memoir, written in 1845, of one man&#8217;s road from bondage to freedom and his tireless work promoting abolition. Incredibly powerful.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. This great American novel is set on the Mississippi river and follows Huck and his friend and former slave, Jim, as they travel together, Jim imparting many lessons along the way. (Also recommend from Twain: “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur&#8217;s Court.”)</li>
</ul>
For the grown-ups
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred McClay. This is a single-volume history that reads like an invitation rather than a textbook and provides a very fair accounting of America from the beginning. It covers the founding of the country through the Cold War, and there is also a Young Readers edition!</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A Patriot&#8217;s History of the United States by Larry Schweikart &amp; Michael Allen. This is a large and comprehensive look at our country and its triumphs and struggles. As it says in the title, it spans from Christopher Columbus to the Age of Entitlement. It’s big but a worthy read. This could also be read in chapters by teens for specific time period study.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">John Adams by David McCullough. An absolute must read for all, this is a magnificent biography of the indispensable founder. The HBO series is also an exceptional watch. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen. This is the thrilling story of the Constitutional Convention as told by the author, who used primary source documents and records to create this historical account. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Abigail Adams: A Life by Woody Holton. A vivid portrait of one of the most remarkable women of the founding generation, this is a personal favorite. With heartbreak and drama, it includes stories of life during the revolution. Much of the book was drawn from actual Adams transcripts, so it is written with exceptional accuracy and specificity.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville. The famous Frenchman&#8217;s observations on what makes American self-government work were penned during a trip to the United States between 1831 and 1832. It’s easily accessible, and I would also recommend strongly for high schoolers.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Federalist Papers by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay. These are the founding arguments for the Constitution.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">George Washington&#8217;s Rules of Civility &amp; Decent Behavior by George himself. Washington&#8217;s handwritten maxims for character and conduct are as worthy today as ever – short enough to read a few a day and share with the kids.</li>
</ul>
A dad shoutout: Hands down, the finest book on the Civil War is &#8220;Battle Cry of Freedom&#8221; by James M. McPherson. Readers of every kind tell me they treasure it as a complete, comprehensive look at the Civil War. 
Happy reading, and God bless our wonderful country!
***
Rachel Reeves is a wife and homeschool mother of four daughters. She works in political commentary at Here Are The Headlines, both on Instagram and Substack.

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The Books Every Parent Should Read Before America’s 250th Birthday

America 250

Books

Upstream

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The Most Patriotic Fashion Picks Of America’s 250th Year

Fashion

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
My memories of the summer of 1976 are those of an eight-year-old. Fifty years later, a few things might be hazy in my brain and in my soul, but, as a trained historian, I think I have a pretty good grasp of what happened then.
I do remember that there were plenty of things to be unpatriotic about. There was serious inflation (I even wrote a letter to President Gerald Ford complaining about this) and serious unemployment. We were also in the middle of an energy crisis, though the gas lines had subsided. Most importantly, though, we had been solidly defeated, politically, if not militarily, in Vietnam.  Some of my earliest political and world memories revolve around, first, Watergate — my mother, a Goldwater Republican, was deeply upset — and, second, by the evacuation of Saigon. Etched in my memory are the American helicopters fleeing the city as the VC and NVA closed in. Women were literally throwing their babies into the departing aircraft. To this day, I have nightmares about April 30, 1975. It was truly the very image of defeat and desperation. Had we ever looked so bad on the world stage? I’m not sure. That’s a lot for a seven-year old to process.
Though I had been born in Great Bend, Kansas, in 1967, we had moved to the extremely middle-class and comfortable town of Hutchinson, Kansas, in the summer of 1974. Hutch, as we all called it, was famous for two things. First, we had the world’s second longest grain elevator — at just over a half mile (featured in the famous movie, Picnic). The Soviets, damn them, had built one a few inches longer, just to spite us. Second, we had some of the largest salt mines in the world. If memory serves, there are bigger ones in Ontario, but the Hutch mines are huge.
What I remember most, though, is that we spent 1976 celebrating in the most beautiful ways. It was glorious. Indeed, my memories of the patriotism of that summer in Hutchinson are so strong that they almost wipe out the memories of Watergate and the Fall of Saigon. As I just mentioned, Hutch was a very comfortable and middle-class town. It was also deeply conservative and anti-Communist. While I have no doubt there were Democrats in town, most folks were Republicans or Libertarians.
I must also note that my town seemed to have been filled with World War II and Korean War veterans. My older brothers and I had a lawn mowing business, and it seemed that all of our clients had proudly served. Though the vets were modest about their service, we kids would beg the vets to show us their wounds from the war, and, the vets, somewhat surprisingly, complied. I remember, especially, Mr. Bruce Huey, who had taken machine gun fire all across his back. Of course, as a kid, I loved it. I also remember Mr. Reinhard, one of the most dignified men I ever knew, who had been stationed in Hiroshima after the dropping of the bomb. He fought cancer three times after, finally succumbing at age 94. It’s hard for us in 2026 to understand or envision, but almost every male community leader had served. They shaped our very neighborhoods and communities, and they did so with a calm and stoic dignity.
My memory is that we Kansans simply didn’t care if America was experiencing economic problems, corruption in Washington, D.C., or a failure abroad. What we cared about was that America had given us shelter to have a meaningful and true community. For all intents and purposes, that summer, Hutch was a little city-state, a proud member of the American republic. We wanted to celebrate that.
Three things stick out in my memory. First, we kids got to paint all of the town’s fire hydrants as our favorite patriots. I was already a huge fan of Ben Franklin — because of the book &#8220;Ben and Me&#8221; — but my older brother, Todd, and I decided to paint our local hydrant as Betsy Ross. For some reason, we chose to paint her in a yellow dress. I can see it so well in my mind’s eye.
Second, I remember our neighborhood — known in our town as “Countryside West” — had days and days of celebration. It was a little festival in our neighborhood, with neighbors dressed as patriots and as Uncle Sam. One neighbor — the father of a beloved friend — even walked around reciting the Declaration of Independence. So, we had hot dogs, fireworks, and spontaneous orations. If any of this sounds corny, we certainly didn’t think so. We were doing our best to thank those who had come before us, and we were dedicating ourselves to a future based on the principles of the Declaration. After all, what nation can claim its origin with these words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This wasn’t cheesy or corny. This was something that gave us immense pride, and we felt the need to express our deep patriotism.
Third, Hutch is the home of the Kansas State Fair. I’ll never forget the firework display that year. The town and the fair had always gone a bit overboard every Fourth of July, but this one was simply over the top. We took our blankets, lay down on the fair ground lawn, and listened to the loud speakers, blaring “Song for America” by our native sons, the band Kansas, and “Suite Madame Blue” by Styx. Interestingly enough, the Kansas song is somewhat anti-patriotic, but we didn’t know that at the time. We just knew it was about America, and we loved it.
As we approach America 250, I worry profoundly about the future of America. Neither major party is exactly in a leadership position, and we’re more polarized as an American people than we have ever been in our history, outside of 1861-1865. Our so-called political leaders can’t even regulate their own lives, and they’re certainly not models of moral clarity and integrity, and yet, when it comes to power, they’re each imperialist, greedy, and abusive. Truly, to look to the political realm is to be depressed. Then, add in the immense debt burden, and, perhaps even more tragically, the outrageous level of fraud — upwards of $500 billion a year by the government’s own accounting. Plus, with calls to pack the Supreme Court and undo the Electoral College, we should be immensely worried about the future of the republic.
And, yet. And, yet&#8230;“we hold these truths” is still the greatest sentence ever written, outside of Scripture. The American republic still exists after 250 years, surviving wars at home and abroad. I am reminded of the brilliant Anglo-Irish statesman, Edmund Burke, who told us: “We are therefore never authorized to abandon our country to its fate, or to act or advise as if it had no resource. There is no reason to apprehend, because ordinary means threaten to fail, that no others can spring up. Whilst our heart is whole, it will find means, or make them. The heart of the citizen is a perennial spring of energy to the state. Because the pulse seems to intermit, we must not presume that it will cease instantly to beat. The public must never be regarded as incurable.” (Emphasis added.)
Amen. And, happy 250th birthday, America. Maybe 1976 and Hutchinson, Kansas, still provide us with sound lessons for what to do, what to celebrate, and how to be unembarrassed patriots.
***
Bradley J. Birzer is the Russell Amos Kirk chair in American studies and a professor of history at Hillsdale College. He is the author of 13 books, including his most recent book, &#8220;The Declaration of Independence: A Radical Experiment in Liberty.&#8221;

The spirit of 76 will come alive tomorrow at the Toronto home of Han Graham when friends celebrate t

America Was Falling Apart. Patriots Celebrated Anyway.

Podcast host Joe Rogan revealed the fear he voiced to President Donald Trump ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 fight night at the White House — and what the president said to him in return.
Rogan, speaking with UFC fighter Justin Gaethje and MMA trainer Trevor Wittman, discussed his concerns ahead of fight night about how vulnerable they could be to an attack — particularly because Trump had been targeted so many times in the past.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
HILARIOUS: Justin Gaethje: “I was like, f*ck it. If I get taken out in the middle of the case, how f*cking legendary would that be?”
Joe Rogan: “I said to Trump, ‘I hope we don’t die in a terrorist attack.’ He goes, ‘We gotta go somehow.’ I go, ‘What the f*ck, dude?’” <a href="https://t.co/6y32fDS1mL">pic.twitter.com/6y32fDS1mL</a>
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) <a href="https://x.com/RedWavePress/status/2068441306574073962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I was honestly really nervous, Joe,&#8221; Wittman said. &#8220;I was like, dude, there&#8217;s like — just being around everybody and something could happen — the drones, that kid that you know they stopped, like &#8230; Again, I wasn&#8217;t knowing what to expect and then &#8217;til after the fight because again, we couldn&#8217;t take it in, it was a beautiful thing, and Justin —&#8221;
&#8220;I was like, f*ck it, if I get taken out in the middle of the cage, how f*cking legendary&#8217;d that be?&#8221; Gaethje chimed in.
Rogan said then that he&#8217;d actually brought concerns to President Trump before the event, saying, &#8220;I said to Trump, ‘I hope we don’t die in a terrorist attack.’ He goes, ‘We gotta go somehow.’ I go, ‘What the f*ck, dude?’&#8221;
Gaethje said he was right there with Trump, adding, &#8220;Everyone will remember it for the rest of eternity!&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ll pass,&#8221; Wittman interjected as Gaethje declared, &#8220;Sign me up!&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s better the way it went,&#8221; Rogan replied. &#8220;The way it went was way better, it was a way better outcome.&#8221;

UFC 276: Adesanya v Cannonier

Joe Rogan Reveals Crazy Comment Trump Made Backstage At UFC: ‘What The F*ck, Dude!’

Joe Rogan Reveals Crazy Comment Trump Made Backstage At UFC: 'What The F*ck, Dude!'

Donald Trump

Joe Rogan

UFC Freedom 250

Comedian Bill Maher scorched Democrats — former Vice President Kamala Harris chief among them — for ignoring and even mocking the idea of patriotism until they needed to win elections.
Maher, during his Friday broadcast of HBO&#8217;s &#8220;Real Time,&#8221; scolded Democrats who were refusing to celebrate the United States as it passed it&#8217;s 250th anniversary, arguing that they were only making themselves look petty and small in their efforts to attack President Donald Trump.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bill Maher on America’s 250th Birthday: &#8220;I’m NOT DOWN with this attitude of ‘Well, we’re having a party, but if Trump’s going, I’m not.’ That’s so high school it should be in the Epstein files.” 
⁰“Go to the party; it’s a big celebration. You probably won’t run into him. This… <a href="https://t.co/u0rlUhmOsc">pic.twitter.com/u0rlUhmOsc</a>
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) <a href="https://x.com/RedWavePress/status/2068351633809924507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;This is about America. He isn’t America. He’s a temporary caretaker of America, America’s employee. And the message should be that America isn’t actually his and that no one’s side gets to own being psyched about the country,&#8221; Maher argued.
&#8220;So I’m not down with this attitude of ‘Well, we’re having a party, but if Trump’s going, I’m not.’ That’s so high school it should be in the Epstein files,&#8221; he added, drawing laughs from the audience. &#8220;Go to the party; it’s a big celebration. You probably won’t run into him. This country’s 3.8M square miles, and that’s without Greenland.&#8221;
Maher went on to argue that a lot of the dire events Democrats had predicted had failed to materialize — not the least of which being their fear that Trump would barricade himself in the White House and refuse to leave after losing in 2020 — before he turned on the former vice president.
Jabbing at Harris&#8217;s 2024 call for Democrats to &#8220;take back the flag,&#8221; he pointed out that eleventh-hour conversions would never be convincing.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
💥NEW: Bill Maher *ROASTS* Kamala Harris🤣🇺🇸
“Every election year, Democrats seem to remember patriotism for about an hour at their convention when they&#8217;re trying to win back swing voters. The whole message of Kamala&#8217;s speech in 2024 was: ‘Take Back the Flag.’”
“That&#8217;s why she… <a href="https://t.co/xYubuHowij">pic.twitter.com/xYubuHowij</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://x.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2068467326903861419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Harris, during her speech, claimed that the &#8220;pride of being an American&#8221; was truly the &#8220;greatest privilege&#8221; anyone could even experience — but Maher was not buying it.
&#8220;The message that most threatens authoritarians isn’t America sucks. It’s America is ours too. Every election year, Democrats seem to remember patriotism for about an hour at their convention when they’re trying to win back swing voters. The whole message of Kamala’s speech in 2024 was take back the flag. That’s why she talked about America like a pageant contestant,&#8221; Maher said. &#8220;Hard to believe she lost, huh? Well, you can’t take back the flag in an hour if the rest of the time you treat patriotism as something vaguely embarrassing.&#8221;

Bill Maher

Bill Maher Rips Into Dems, Kamala For Mocking Patriotism Until They Need Votes

comedian

Kamala Harris

Media

Politics

In 1972, Richard Nixon was re-elected with over 60% of the popular vote. Just a few years later, he left office as the most disgraced president in history.
His resignation cemented his legacy as one of scandal, and for half a century Nixon has been associated with Watergate: “I am not a crook.”
But something’s happening online that may once and for all disprove Fitzgerald’s dictum that there are no second acts in American lives. Across social media, Tricky Dick is blowing up — with memes, edits, and merchandise marketed at Gen Z. Thirty-two years after his death, America’s 37th president is popular again. And for the first time ever, he’s cool.
“It’s frightening and terrifying and sad,” Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/story/richard-nixon-instagram-rebrand?srsltid=AfmBOorjoaPd4liMlRnVUqra1C4G1YthU_2gr9hkeN9gLabyY8n1M1JN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Vanity Fair. </a>“It’s part of the whole process of history being rewritten and obliterated.”
The Vanity Fair piece, titled “Richard Nixon’s Instagram Redemption Is Perfect for Our Post-Truth World,” is a pearl-clutching jeremiad straight out of Joe Scarborough’s Id. For 2,000 words, Wine-Banks and Watergate mastermind-turned-informant John Dean assert Nixon’s villainy while cautioning that the Nixon Foundation’s attempt at rehabilitation is some kind of conspiracy to make Donald Trump’s “lies” acceptable.
For those of us who only learned about Nixon as a historical figure — that is to say, at least half of the country — it’s not hard to imagine this conspiracy. After all, that’s what Nixon was about: Watergate, of course, but also the Oval Office recordings, Kissinger’s scheming diplomacy, and the Committee to Re-Elect the President, infamously abbreviated to CREEP. Surely some shadowy cabal of Republican elites were behind this social media blitz.
But the truth is simpler, and to the extent that there is a conspiracy, it’s among Nixon’s opponents. The guys behind the memes are just doing their job. They happen to be really good at it. And like the man whose legacy they steward, they’re now being attacked for their success.
James Byron was named <a href="https://www.nixonfoundation.org/foundation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">president and CEO</a> of the Nixon Foundation in 2021, at the ripe age of 28. A history major who briefly served as an advisor to the Archivist of the United States, Byron says this is his dream job. It’s clear when you talk to him that this is an understatement.
Byron is hardly alone. The Nixon foundation team is excited to tell the story about America’s most misunderstood president. Nowhere is this clearer than with Chris Barber, the Foundation’s 35-year-old marketing director and the man behind the memes.
Hearing Barber’s age is likely a shock to anyone who’s seen his videos, which are the most Gen Z things of all time. Smash cuts of Nixon speeches overlaid with TikTok rap and strobe light transitions dominate the Foundation’s Instagram page and are frequently shared on X. In the comments section, Zoomer argot abounds in praise of Dick.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Among you young men, there may be a Vice President Nixon! <a href="https://t.co/7tqj0Lltmq">pic.twitter.com/7tqj0Lltmq</a>
— Richard Nixon Foundation (@nixonfoundation) <a href="https://x.com/nixonfoundation/status/2064745211390304270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
“Aura farming from the grave is crazy,” writes one commenter. “Someone is on one at the Nixon foundation and I&#8217;m thrilled,” adds another. “This shit is in my Spotify liked list holy moly.”
Thanks to Barber’s edits, the Nixon Foundation has racked up 250 million views across social media platforms since October 2023. Subscribers climbed from 65,000 to 450,000 in that same window. Today, over half of the Foundation’s Instagram audience is under 35.
But the Nixon renaissance is not merely an online phenomenon. Nixon Library attendance is up 30% year-over-year. This May the Foundation sold more merchandise than they’ve sold in 10 years. When the Foundation dropped a line of “Nixon–Maxxing” hats, they sold out in 90 minutes. So did the second order the Foundation scrambled to release. They sold 200 hats in total, completely clearing the shelves.
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Nixonmaxxing hats sold out in a few hours.
Restock alerts here → <a href="https://t.co/dh622ATSqx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://t.co/dh622ATSqx</a> <a href="https://t.co/lp503q1lEr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/lp503q1lEr</a>
— Richard Nixon Foundation (@nixonfoundation) <a href="https://x.com/nixonfoundation/status/2022481502978843056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">February 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
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It’s tempting to chalk this whole thing up to Gen Z being ironic. And of course, that’s part of it. But Vanity Fair isn’t dragging out John Dean to sound the alarm on a mere social media bit. Something else is happening here, something deeper — and it has people panicking.
Perhaps the best way to understand this is to migrate over to the Nixon Foundation’s YouTube channel, where memes give way to clips of Nixon’s speeches. Here the videos — which frequently amass more than 3 million views — are not cheeky or funny. They’re just Nixon: Nixon talking about Bill Clinton, Nixon being prescient on Russia and Ukraine, Nixon waxing philosophical about what constitutes a good life.
People may get pulled in by the edits, but Nixon himself is holding their attention. That’s not surprising. If one is interested in Congress, communism, and China, to say nothing of the presidency and the media, one is de facto interested in Nixon. He helped shape and was shaped by all of those institutions. It’s impossible to understand them, or our time, without understanding him.
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The Honorable Richard M. Nixon <a href="https://t.co/xjDbQPvqa1">pic.twitter.com/xjDbQPvqa1</a>
— Richard Nixon Foundation (@nixonfoundation) <a href="https://x.com/nixonfoundation/status/2057193199924613252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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For Nixon’s critics, this is the problem. Conventional wisdom and AP U.S. History textbooks hold that you’re allowed to say one good thing about Nixon: he opened China. Otherwise, it’s all stagflation, pancake makeup, and burglary. Americans cannot be allowed to appreciate Nixon the man in full because doing so would shatter the totalizing impulse that has dominated American politics since Woodward and Bernstein first went to press.
This point really cannot be overstated: the Nixon revival is a threat not because it gives cover to Trump to lie, cheat and steal, but because it could make Americans realize that the people they trust to render judgement on politicians are not always honest brokers.
And God forbid people start looking at Watergate with fresh eyes. They might learn that Bob Woodward never actually used the codeword “Deep Throat” for Mark Felt, and that his book agent made it up to sell more copies of “All The President’s Men.” They might learn that the reason Woodward and Carl Bernstein never revealed Felt’s identity was because he was a career FBI agent with an axe to grind against Nixon, who passed Felt over for the director job. They might learn that Felt was the mastermind behind COINTELPRO, a controversial FBI program to infiltrate and dismantle radical Left groups.
<div id="attachment_1116183" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1116183" class="wp-image-1116183 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-105334198.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="854" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-105334198.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-105334198-300x250.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-105334198-691x576.jpg 691w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-105334198-768x641.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Ben Bradlee and Bob Woodward (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)</div>
They might also discover that Washington Post publisher Ben Bradlee had serious misgivings about Woodward and Bernstein’s reporting. In 2012, New York Magazine — no Nixonian rag, to be sure — published excerpts from <a href="https://nymag.com/news/features/ben-bradlee-2012-5/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bradlee’s personal papers</a> in which he said “There’s a residual fear in my soul that that isn’t quite straight.”
“Dealing with Woodward and Bernstein became — as they became more skilled in subterfuge, as they became more skilled in double meanings and triple meanings and quadruple, it became quite hard to deal with … Their great habit was to come around about 7:30 at night to say they had a helluva story … because they thought the guard would be down and they could slip it into the paper without the usual sort of grilling.”
The author of that piece, Jeff Himmelman — who discovered the papers while writing Bradlee’s authorized biography — confronted Woodward about the quote. To put it succinctly, Woodward freaked out. Later Himmelman found that the tape containing those comments, one in a series of 13, had disappeared. He asked Bradlee if he thought Woodward had taken it. “Maybe,” Bradlee laughed.
That piece is 14 years old and I can guarantee you most Americans have never read it. The fact is, the media industrial complex has — in an ironic twist, given the subject matter — worked to keep the full truth of Watergate under wraps. Because Watergate is the modern media’s foundational myth. Before Woodward and Bernstein, journalism largely consisted of reporting facts, and investigative journalism meant exposing real scandals in the public interest.
Watergate changed that. From that moment on, investigative journalism became inherently political, and politicians became trophies to hunt. Journalists’ political sympathies being what they are, this necessarily meant that Republicans were always in the crosshairs. To interrogate Watergate is to interrogate the very foundations of our media and the way we see politics. There’s a reason political scandals get the “-gate” suffix. For the status quo to hold, Watergate must be a triumph, and Bob Woodward must be a hero. Which means Nixon must be the villain.
<div id="attachment_1116185" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1116185" class="wp-image-1116185 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-517354418.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="687" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-517354418.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-517354418-300x201.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-517354418-859x576.jpg 859w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-517354418-768x515.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Getty Images</div>
For a while, it seemed that this would always be the case. But then, during the first Trump administration, Americans saw for the first time what the “deep state” really was. Not some imagined rightwing boogeyman but an actual, active network of entrenched bureaucrats willing to subvert a president to push their own political agendas.
The veil dropped. If this happened now, people realized, it could have happened then. Suddenly old doubts became new. The idea that Nixon was targeted by the bureaucracy, which political scientist <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10584609.1992.9962930" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Marini</a> first argued in 1992, was back on the table. The fact that Nixon only set up his wiretaps because he discovered American military commanders were wiretapping the White House — which historian James Hougan first revealed in his 1984 book “Secret Agenda&#8221; — was put into the light earlier this year when <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/opinion/trump-nixon-watergate-radford.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Rosen exposed</a> the long-buried grand jury hearing where Nixon explained the situation.
In 2025, Bill Murray appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience. Years earlier, Woodward published a book about Murray’s friend, the late comedian John Belushi. Remarking on the book’s myriad falsehoods, <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/03/03/media/bill-murray-quips-bob-woodward-couldve-framed-nixon-for-watergate-because-of-inaccurate-book-on-john-belushi/">Murray told Rogan</a> “I read like five pages &#8230; and I went, ‘Oh my God. They framed Nixon.'&#8221;
Murray’s joke gets at something real. Pull at one thread and the sweater unravels. Start noticing and it’s hard to stop. The Nixon renaissance is about reevaluating the narrative we’ve been fed about our history, our government, and our media, sure, but it’s also the result of a curious drive that springs up naturally when something that for so long has been off limits is suddenly placed on the table.
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55 years ago, the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam was observed across the United States. President Nixon’s response was firm: “Under no circumstances will I be affected whatsoever by it.” <a href="https://t.co/6gcUBE729i">pic.twitter.com/6gcUBE729i</a>
— Richard Nixon Foundation (@nixonfoundation) <a href="https://x.com/nixonfoundation/status/1978879148669178163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
It’s especially clear why Gen Z would be excited about this prospect. They learned the standard “Nixon bad” narrative from teachers who themselves only knew this one-dimensional Nixon. But more generally, Gen Z has every reason to question the “truths” they’ve been fed. They came of age during COVID lockdowns and peak woke, and have now seen those movements and the people who pushed them collapse in disgrace. Their generation’s drive to question authority and push the bounds of acceptable thought has led them to embrace people like Hasan Piker and Nick Fuentes, figures whose ideas threaten the foundation of our democracy.
But this has also led them to praise the aura of a self-made California Quaker who dedicated his life to public service and remained in the arena even after the people and country he fought for rejected him time and again.
Richard Nixon always seemed like something from a bygone age, always just a few steps behind where America was trending. But perhaps, like so much else about Nixon, we got it wrong. Maybe Nixon wasn’t a relic come too late, but a visionary come too early. Maybe his time is now.

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How The Kids Learned To Love Richard Nixon

Bob Woodward

Deep State

Journalism

Richard Nixon

Watergate

To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, two marathon runners have assembled a team to unite the country in a marathon relay from sea to shining sea. 
The idea started when marathon runners Joe Nail and Wyatt Moss met and became friends while trying to complete 50 marathons in each of the 50 US states. 
“As America&#8217;s 250th birthday came into view, Joe had an idea: do something epic to bring the country back together,” the Relay for America website <a href="https://www.relayforamerica.org/about">said</a>. “A coast-to-coast relay, carrying the American flag from one ocean to the capital. He asked Wyatt to partner — and Wyatt pushed it further. Don&#8217;t make it a private feat. Open it to everyone and build the first mass-participation flag relay across the country.”
The idea for Relay for America was born – a marathon relay where more than 250 runners will carry the flag from California to the nation’s capital. Nail and Moss planned a route consisting of 3,016 miles, with each mile <a href="https://www.relayforamerica.org/honor">dedicated</a> to one of America’s veterans. 
The website mentions that the idea started with “a ragtag group of young people on a shoestring budget, with about two weeks to plan something most would spend years and hundreds of thousands of dollars on.” However, the founders of this movement mention that the spirit of American exceptionalism has kept the team going. 
“We think that America is still an exceptional place,” Nail said during a Fox News interview. “There’s this narrative — people like to talk about all the things that are wrong with America, and really the spirit of this relay is showing all the things that are right with America.”
The run began Sunday on Rodeo Beach in San Francisco when a group of about 15 people and the runner  touched the waters of the Pacific Ocean and started running east, as Moss <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZkz1TAveZa/">told</a> his audience on Instagram.
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The <a href="https://www.relayforamerica.org/">home page</a> of the Relay for America has a map where viewers can see the flag’s current location and calculate the time the flag is expected to reach their state. 
The relay will be expected to take around 20 days, ending in Washington D.C. on the evening of July 2. The runners are currently averaging about 161 miles per day, running through all hours of the day. As of Friday, the flag had been carried all the way to Utah.
The <a href="https://www.relayforamerica.org/crew">website</a> offers opportunities for volunteers to work for management, media, comms, operations, press, and bookkeeping to make sure that the flag reaches the nation’s capital on July 4.

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Relay for America Shows United States Runs On Tenacity and Patriotism

All American Patriotism

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As America approaches its 250th birthday on July 4, a debate is growing about what it means to be an American.
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch waded into the conversation last month by asserting in an interview that America is <a href="https://x.com/NRO/status/2052080018449137691">“a creedal nation.”</a> According to Gorsuch, “what unites us is not a religion, it’s not a race, it’s a belief” in the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
For some, those remarks were fighting words.
On social media, Gorsuch was quickly denounced as “<a href="https://x.com/StevenDeLay4/status/2052157802806657254">a traitor</a>” who was spouting <a href="https://x.com/realJeremyCarl/status/2052129536528331115">“nonsense” and “claptrap.”</a>
Critics of America as a creedal nation like to think of themselves as the vanguard of a popular new movement, especially among conservative Christians. But <a href="https://www.discovery.org/a/new-survey-americans-defined-by-belief-in-americas-founding-ideals-not-by-ancestry-or-religion/">a newly released survey</a> of 2,500 Americans conducted by Discovery Institute undercuts that claim.
Respondents were asked, “in your view, for someone to truly be an American, which attributes should they have?”
Six in 10 said that to truly be an American, someone should embrace “the ideas expressed by the Declaration of Independence” and “the form of government created by the Constitution.” Seven in 10 said that to be a true American, one “should agree with the freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights.”
By contrast, only 3.2% of respondents said people “should be descended from an ancestor from Britain or Europe” to truly be an American, and only 16.8% thought that true Americans needed to “agree with Christianity.”
With minor variations, these overall results hold across all major demographics, including political ideology.
For example, 97% of self-identified Christian conservatives reject British/European ancestry as a requirement to be a true American, and 69% of Christian conservatives reject the idea that someone needs to agree with Christianity in order to be a true American.
These results reflect how deeply ingrained the creedal nation idea remains in the American psyche.
Some claim the idea of America as a creedal nation was invented by post-World War II liberals. But America’s Founders proclaimed limited government, unalienable rights, equality under God, and the consent of the governed because they believed these were universal truths. Accordingly, from the early years of the republic, they held up those principles as applicable to all people everywhere.
Catholic Charles Carroll was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. Reflecting on the Declaration’s 50th anniversary in 1826, he recommended: “to the present and future generations the principles of that important document, as the best earthly inheritance their ancestors could bequeath to them; and pray[ed] that the civil and religious liberties they have secured to my country may be perpetuated to remotest posterity, and extended to the whole family of man.”
By 1921, the uniqueness of America as a creedal nation was so apparent to others around the world that Englishman G.K. Chesterton declared, “America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed. That creed is set forth with dogmatic and even theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence.”
Contrary to some critics, being a creedal nation does not require America to allow unlimited immigration. In fact, America’s founding principles provide a principled reason for keeping out all those who do not support its creed — and for making sure native-born Americans are taught America’s creed as well.
That said, the more thoughtful critics of the “creedal nation” idea are correct to insist that culture matters as well as creed. Here, they have a legitimate gripe with Justice Gorsuch, who seemed overly dismissive of culture, remarking, “Our nation is not founded on a religion. It’s not based on a common culture even, or heritage.”
In truth, creeds develop from — and are sustained by — culture. That includes religion.
The idea that all humans are created equal, for example, grew out of the Bible. This fact was widely recognized by America’s founders, regardless of their own faith convictions.
Physician Benjamin Rush was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a devout Christian. He argued that the Bible was the book “above all others” that “favors … equality among mankind.” Pamphleteer Thomas Paine was a deist who rejected the Bible as supernatural revelation, but on this point he agreed with Rush. Paine traced the idea of human equality back to “the Mosaic account of the creation.”
Americans are right to be concerned about culture. But instead of repudiating our founding creed or suggesting its truths are limited to people of a certain race or religion, we should be working to rebuild the institutions needed to support that creed.
***
John G. West is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Endowed-Our-Creator-Science-Americas/dp/1637120877/">Endowed by Our Creator</a> (DI Press, 2026) and vice president of the Discovery Institute. He is also the Distinguished Scholar of American Government and Christian Civic Engagement at Cornerstone University.

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The Makings Of Americans

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American History

DW Opinion

Founding Fathers

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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It’s the lost heritage the patriot craves today: the traditional kind of small-town, Southern charm marked by porch swings, county fairs, and main streets. A place where the children are welcome in nearly every setting. Where stores close on Sundays. Where it is the norm to run into a familiar face. This America isn&#8217;t gone; it&#8217;s alive and well in Franklin, Tennessee.
At the town square, a teenage girl sings to an ambling crowd as they window shop for homegrown goods, and a young boy with a violin reminds the older generations of simpler times. There are Victorian-era storefronts, a nearly century-old theater, stylish boutiques, and a local “book lovers’ paradise” filled with Mark Twain, C.S. Lewis, and the like. A few miles down the road, the Amish sell yogurt and raw milk at the farmers market. A barbecue food truck sends the sweet, tangy smell of smoking brisket through the air into the lungs of suburban families attending their Saturday morning ritual. 
When summer nears, humidity plagues every night and day — a characteristic of life in the South. Around the same time, mosquitoes, cicadas, and lightning bugs emerge, reminding the townsfolk of the blossoming garden among them. August may be the most oppressive month, as the blazing sun, steamy air, and perpetual use of anti-itch cream hinder any kind of outside enjoyment. Then suddenly, a random September weekend alleviates the muggy blanket, and what begins is a near-perfect, brisk autumn day. 
Life is slow in Franklin, Tennessee. People linger. They smile and open the door and talk to strangers. Middle school boys ride their bikes to the Circle K down the street to cool down with Slurpees. Local coffee shops teem with first dates, older couples pay a visit while on their daily walks, remote workers escape the isolation of home, and mothers with young children revel in the sunshine with an iced drink, hoping the children entertain each other. One staple spot just south of the square is an old gas station-turned café trademarked with the logo, “Your Daily Pit Stop.”
This town is a perpetual return to its storied past. From the 19th-century Carnton plantation to a historic stove factory converted to a shopping mall, a tribute to its heritage is embedded into the groundwork of everyday life.
Even the darkest chapters.
In 1864, a German immigrant named Johann Albert Lotz found himself in the middle of one of the deadliest battles in the Civil War. When the Battle of Franklin broke out, the Lotz family fled across the street to the Carter House, where the Carter family cowered in their basement as gunfire and artillery exploded all around them. The family’s son, Tod Carter, was just outside in the heart of the war, fighting that very day when he was fatally wounded in battle. He was carried home, just up the road, where he died surrounded by his family.
The homes are now treasured today as local museums known as the Lotz House and the Carter House. The history of what once took place serves as an ongoing reminder of the bloodshed spilled 160 years ago. A legacy not meant to be solely decorative, but to be remembered.
Patches of cemeteries and gravesites and memorials are scattered around town. Small American flags line the streets for the Fourth of July. Red, white, and blue tablecloths appear on front lawns. Fathers stand at the grill cooking burgers while children run through the heat with sunglasses, face paint, and firecrackers.
This is where nostalgic, old-fashioned, and classic Americana values have stopped to rest. Elsewhere, spectators scrutinize the American mindset, the notion that one could possibly be proud of their country and the freedoms preserved for it. Those freedoms safeguard their places of worship, guarantee their defense, reprimand the corrupt, protect the motherland, and solicit dignity and honor for those grateful enough to inhabit it. It is a mindset now nearly foreign to this country.
Maybe this is why people are moving in droves to places like Franklin, Tennessee. Americans sense something fragile is at risk: not merely a political affiliation, but a shared affection for the place itself. The most devastating aspect of the collapse of a nation is the one that comes from within, when people forget what’s most important. In the words of Benjamin Franklin when asked what kind of government the founders had created, he replied: “A republic, if you can keep it.&#8221;
The search for Americana is more than a remembrance of the past. It is preserved in the small rituals: meeting and knowing the neighbors, strolling through a park and fishing at a local pond, spending more time outside in nature than on screens, inviting new friends over for a homemade dinner, and enjoying the God-given freedoms unique to this nation, and this nation alone. Perhaps Americans are starting to return to this. Perhaps we are starting to remember.

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Americans Are Moving Here In Droves. Spend A Day In Town And You’ll See Why.

Tennessee

Twenty-five years ago, it didn&#8217;t matter if you were red, white, blue, black, gold, or purple. On July Fourth, our nation&#8217;s birthday, Republicans and Democrats both showed up for the party.
Not anymore.
In 2026, we can&#8217;t agree on the color orange, whether water is wet, or what the American flag even stands for. And the polling proves it. Sixty-four percent of Republicans will display the American flag on July Fourth. Democrats? Twenty-seven percent.
Back in 2001 — before the towers fell, before the culture war went nuclear — Democrats and Republicans were nearly identical in how proud they were to call themselves Americans. Eighty-seven percent of the country, unified, coast to coast. Then came the decades of left-wing institutional rot, and here we are: 90% of Republicans say they are proud to be American. Democrats? 29%. That is a 61-point gap between two halves of a country that used to grill out together.
Absolutely pathetic.
The Left has always been a little less enthusiastic about American symbols, but this is more than dyspepsia; this is pure contempt. More Gen Z Democrats say they have little or no pride in being an American than say they are extremely or very proud. Think about that. The party of &#8220;our democracy&#8221; has produced a generation that actively dislikes the country more than they love it.
Instead of parties this July Fourth? They&#8217;ll be hosting off-key sing-alongs, mourning deported illegal aliens, and papering their doors with rainbow stickers. Old Glory won&#8217;t make an appearance.
Here&#8217;s why that matters.
That flag proudly wears thirteen stripes for the colonies that told a king to pound sand in 1776. Fifty stars for the states bound together under a Constitution that declared rights come from the Creator — not from government. It flew over Washington, crossing the Delaware in the snow. It inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem while British rockets lit up the night over Fort McHenry. It led the charge at Normandy and planted itself on the moon.
The stars and stripes don’t represent perfection. They represent the longest-running experiment in ordered liberty the world has ever seen.
The modern Left cannot rally around any of that. Their entire worldview requires them to see America as an original sin that can never be forgiven. Slavery existed here — just as it existed on every continent for thousands of years. The difference is that the principles in that flag gave Americans the moral and legal tools to end it. The Left&#8217;s preferred history — the 1619 Project revision pushed in classrooms and newsrooms — pretends those principles never existed. It teaches children that the country was founded on oppression rather than on the radical idea that all men are created equal.
The feature, ladies and gentlemen, never the bug.
The New Left that took over universities in the 1960s and 1970s did not want to reform America. It wanted to delegitimize it. Herbert Marcuse and the critical theory crowd taught a generation that Western civilization, and America in particular, was the source of all repression. Repressive tolerance became the rule: shut down any defense of the country as “hate,” while every grievance gets a platform. Decades later, the results are in the polling.
Democrats who went through that education system now look at the flag the way a vampire looks at garlic.
They&#8217;ve been trained to see every American success as stolen and every American failure as proof the whole thing is rotten, all while living in the country with the highest living standards, the strongest military, the freest speech, and the most opportunity any large nation has ever produced. The hypocrisy writes itself.
So let them sulk. Let them treat July Fourth like a national day of mourning.
The rest of us still believe in the country that produced the Wright brothers, the polio vaccine, the internet, and the men and women who stormed beaches to liberate continents. Republicans aren’t just holding the line. We are still building. Entrepreneurs are creating jobs instead of burning buildings. Mothers are raising children instead of raising fists at the system. Young men are enlisting or starting businesses instead of majoring in resentment.
The revolutionary spirit that won independence never left the Right. It just got busy winning in the real world.
The numbers keep dividing because one side loves what America is, and the other resents what it has achieved. That isn&#8217;t a disagreement over policy. That is a fundamental rejection of the country itself.
Democrats hate the flag. We don’t.
This July Fourth, fly it anyway. Fly it high. Fly it for the people who built this place and for the ones still trying to keep it worth defending. 
The Left can keep their grievance parade. The rest of us have a country to celebrate.

Medium size flags line a white fence

Democrats Hate The Flag That Leads The World. We Celebrate It.

Conservatism

Fourth of July

Leftists

McDonald’s will celebrate America’s 250th birthday with some good old-fashioned nostalgia. The fast food behemoth recently announced it would bring back fried apple pies, but only for a limited time.
“Summer tends to move fast – but the moments worth remembering don’t. And with America’s 250th birthday around the corner, we’re bringing back a fan-favorite and bona fide national treasure made for slowing down and savoring the season: the Fried Apple Pie,” the press release <a href="https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-stories/article/mcdonalds-fried-apple-pie-returns.html">said</a>. 
“If you know, you know. If you don&#8217;t, June 23 is your chance to find out. The OG Fried Apple Pie is back at participating restaurants nationwide for a limited time. The all-day menu item features our signature filling made with 100% American-grown apples, wrapped in the same golden crunch and flaky fried crust fans remember – or soon won’t forget.”
Per <a href="https://abcnews.com/Business/wireStory/mcdonalds-serving-fried-apple-pie-americas-250th-birthday-133921614">ABC News</a>, McDonald’s introduced both the fried apple pie and the Big Mac in 1968. The outlet noted that the familiar rectangular pie in a paper sleeve was dreamt up by Litton Cochran, who ran a McDonald&#8217;s franchise in Tennessee. 
The fast food restaurant replaced the fried version with a baked apple pie in 1992 as the public started to worry more about healthier diets and limit fried foods. While the fried version was phased out in the United States, it was still available in other countries such as the United Kingdom, Greece, Mexico, Australia, and China, as well as in Hawaii.
There have been petitions over the years to bring back menu favorites, including the popular McRib sandwich that often makes limited-time comebacks and always makes headlines when it does. The fried apple pie is no exception.
“There are certain things that just take you back – and the Fried Apple Pie is one of them. It’s something that people love and remember from growing up,” said Eric Cochran, a McDonald’s franchise owner/operator. “When Ray Kroc was trying to come up with a dessert for McDonald’s, my Grandad, Litton Cochran, suggested a Fried Apple Pie as a classic that people would love. My Grandmom, Jo Cochran, spent months perfecting the recipe. Bringing the Fried Apple Pie back for fans this summer to celebrate America’s 250th just feels right.”

McDonald’s

Discontinued Fast Food Favorite Makes A Comeback For America’s 250th

Fast-Food

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25 Books On The Founding Fathers To Read For America 250

Abraham Lincoln

Alexander Hamilton

American Revolution

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