The piece below was authored by Elizabeth (“Liz”) Blackbourn. The piece touches on the author’s feelings as our nation marks its 250th birthday and what that means for our citizenry moving forward. Liz is a Wisconsin UOCAVA voter, a strong ally of veterans and the military-connected community, and a member of the Democrats Abroad Global Veterans and Military Families (VMF) Caucus.
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I have been thinking about what it means for the United States of America to celebrate two-fifty. I keep coming to the conclusion that we are too young to die. Two hundred and fifty years is remarkable, but in the lifespan of nation-states, we are still quite young. We as citizens, and the world as a whole, cannot afford to lose this great experiment that is the United States of America.
I think about the generations who fought to preserve our ideals. It simply is not fair to those who endured wars, hardship, and sacrifice to secure the freedoms we enjoy if we become careless with what they left us. I think of all who have worn the uniform. I think of those who never came home. I think of the Founders who debated every word and every principle, knowing future generations would wrestle with them, defend them, and improve upon them.
America has never been perfect, and pretending otherwise does a disservice to our history. I write this from a place of privilege as a white woman while recognizing that women have only had the right to vote for a little more than a century. I also recognize that Black and brown U.S. Citizens have too often been denied the equal treatment our founding fathers promised. Our history is filled with contradictions, but it is also filled with people determined to close the gap between our ideals and our reality.
The American Revolution was about more than tea tariffs and unfair taxation. It was about representation, accountability, and rejecting arbitrary power. It was about ordinary people insisting they had the right to shape their own future. Those principles are being echoed louder than ever today.
Today, it feels like we are being led by people who care more about power than about the country itself, more about winning than about the rule of law or serving the people of every state and territory. America is meant to be bigger than the politicians of any one moment. It is our duty as citizens to make sure that remains true.
That responsibility begins with participation. Freedom is not self-sustaining. Nearly 90 million U.S Citizens did not vote in 2024, and far more do not vote consistently. The question is whether we are willing to keep doing the work that freedom requires.
So what is the United States of America at two-fifty? It is not finished. It is still becoming. It is still asking each generation to decide whether this experiment is worth preserving.
I believe it is. We must keep serving our communities. We must find common ground. We must never stop voting because democracy is not something we inherit once. Democracy is something we choose to protect together, generation after generation. It is time for us to fulfill the promise of America.
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U.S. citizens living abroad, both civilian and military, are highly encouraged to check your voter registration status and request your ballot for any upcoming elections in your home voting state that you are eligible to vote in.
The Global VMF Caucus has over 1,500 members in dozens of countries and proudly consists of veterans, military family members, Department of Defense civilians, other national security professionals, and strong allies of veterans and military family causes.