2026: New Year, 250-Year-Old Reflections

It's 2026 and the country's Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, is upon us. And, by almost any measure, 2026 rivals both 1776 and 1976 in terms of how fraught it is. 

The onslaught of 250th marketing, which is just beginning, is primarily focused on "Founders" and the Revolutionary War. But for Illinois Humanities, the 250th is about much more than an extra-special birthday party or a reason to reinforce familiar mythologies. 

Rather, we are centering the source itself: The Declaration of Independence, a tremendously humanist piece of American history. 

The authors used history, literature, and philosophy to make the case for the founding of our democracy. They grounded governmental authority in "We the people" and argued that shared beliefs in fundamental ideas about people - our relationship with one another and with our government - are what make us a country, rather than ancestry, religion, or the language we speak. Radical at the time; perhaps uneasily radical still. 

Embedded in the definition of our country and a focus on the ideas we share is an often-overlooked requirement: reflective patriotism. 

It can be a hard time for some of us to feel patriotic or to want to have anything to do with the 250th. But from a humanist perspective, these are precisely the reasons to engage with this anniversary and with one another.  

Reflective patriotism is patriotism (love of country) based on a commitment to founding principles and moral ideals, combined with an expectation that we actively reflect on whether or not we are making progress towards those ideals. Reflective patriotism requires us to question, criticize, and seek to improve the country when it falls short. Dissent, discussion, self-examination, and reform are patriotic duties, not acts of disloyalty. 

Reflective patriotism obliges us to practice curiosity instead of certainty. Reflective patriotism assumes inclusion; efforts to ensure people feel they belong are an inherently civic act in the interest of ensuring the public good. Why? When people are included and feel seen, they participate. 

Our ability to make good on the ideals of the Declaration of Independence  

• That all of us are equal
• That we have the right to be free to live the life we choose for ourselves
• That we have the right to pursue happiness
• That our government is made by us, for us, and answers to us
• Require not only a declaration of independence, but INTERDEPENDENCE. 

Illinois Humanities has been working for more than two years in anticipation of this anniversary. The portfolio of programs we've created - which we will announce next week - center people and their diverse stories and ideas. Most of all, they are designed to enable people to engage in the kind of reflective patriotism championed by Abraham Lincoln, remarked upon by Alexis de Tocqueville, and emphasized by Senator Carl Schurz in 1872 at the height of Reconstruction:  

“My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.”

Taken as a whole, our programs make the case that the story of Illinois is the story of America, that this story is still being written, and that it can only be written by all of us. 

At a time when national messaging is flattening the specifics of history, we are drawing on five decades of experience strengthening civic and cultural life in every corner of the state, and we are doing what we have always done: making it possible for communities to gather, reflect, imagine, and celebrate together.  

As Chair of the Illinois America 250 Commission and Executive Director of Illinois Humanities, I am seeing extraordinary momentum emerging across our state. In every county, people are planning programs that uplift undertold stories, center the power of the places where they live and learn, and celebrate and commemorate the ways in which Illinois has contributed to our national fabric. 

And, when we're on the other side of this Semiquincentennial year, I'm looking forward to being part of the ways our state will have become more creative, connected, and just thanks to people's participation in these anniversary programs and their invitation to reflective patriotism. 

Sincerely,

Gabrielle H. Lyon, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Illinois Humanities