Outside Washington, New York is hosting an international parade of tall ships, with flyovers and its own massive fireworks display.
Speaking at the International Naval Review there, Vice President JD Vance urged Americans to dismiss criticism of the US, arguing that some people “speak obsessively, not of our national greatness, but of our national imperfections.”
Vance criticised those voices, saying they “talk about America’s sins with the anger and zeal of a brimstone preacher, but without any of the grace or forgiveness that must be present in the Christian faith.”
For Americans, the 250th anniversary festivities offer a moment for reflection as well as celebration.
After two and a half centuries of triumphs and tragedies, slavery and freedom, civil war and world wars, multiple surveys indicate a nation divided about where it is and where it’s going.
A Quinnipiac University poll showed 61 percent of Americans thought the US was not living up to the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence — though most Republicans think it does, and most Democrats think it doesn’t.
