Mike Pence | July 4, 2025
(The Washington Times) — As fireworks once again light up the night skies from sea to shining sea, this Independence Day carries a renewed spirit of hope and thanksgiving.
This year, as we begin our 250th year as a free and independent nation, the American people have reason to celebrate not just our remarkable past but also a bright and promising future. After four years of hardship and struggle, America is finally back on the right track thanks to Republican leadership in Washington.
President Trump is rapidly restoring law and order at our border. Parents are once again being empowered in their children’s education. Our NATO alliance is growing stronger, our allies, including Israel, are safer, and our adversaries are thinking twice about testing our resolve. We should be grateful for these accomplishments, not because the government is our savior but because the government, for a change, is getting out of the way and letting the American people succeed.
As we celebrate these hard-earned victories, we would do well to remember what truly makes this country exceptional. The miracle of America is not found in our power or prosperity. It is not even found in great leaders, past or present. The true miracle of America is that, from the very beginning, we have recognized that our rights come not from government but from God.
When our Founders penned the Declaration of Independence in 1776, they made a claim that echoed throughout the ages: that all men are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” That truth has been our North Star through every trial, war and season of hardship. It is the reason our Constitution begins with those sacred words, “We the People,” and it is the reason, through 249 years of triumph and tribulation, that the United States still stands tall as a beacon of liberty to the world.
As we enjoy this Fourth of July with our families and friends, let’s do more than celebrate a date on the calendar. Let’s give thanks. Let’s thank God for the blessings of liberty, for the men and women in uniform who protect that liberty, and for the extraordinary privilege of being citizens of the greatest nation on earth.
Let’s remember the farmers and factory workers, the truckers and teachers, the pastors and parents who quietly hold this country together every single day. Let’s honor the memory of generations past who paid the price for our freedom, and let’s resolve to be worthy of their sacrifice.
Above all, let us never forget that the ultimate source of American greatness is not government, not politicians, not wealth or power or fame, but faith — faith in God, faith in each other, and faith in the promise that is America.
In the months ahead, as we prepare to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, may we renew our commitment to that enduring promise that defines us still: that we are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Mike Pence served as the 48th vice president of the United States.
