AMERICA CELEBRATING 250 YEARS

On 2026-06-23, Representative Harriet M. Hageman (R-WY-0) delivered a floor speech titled "AMERICA CELEBRATING 250 YEARS" in the House.

AMERICA CELEBRATING 250 YEARS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026)] [House] [Pages H4200-H4205] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] {time} 2040 AMERICA CELEBRATING 250 YEARS (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Ms. Hageman of Wyoming was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.) Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about something spectacular, something worthy of a year-long celebration, and something that will shortly be lighting up the skies from sea to shining sea: the 250th anniversary of the creation of the greatest country that has ever existed. On July Fourth, we will be celebrating our collective birthday, and I am honored to stand on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, in this beautiful Capitol, in this glorious and dynamic city, to describe what that means to me, the lone Representative of the least populated State in our country. Our experimental Republic, having been born from the ashes of a Middle Ages monarchy, has survived 2\1/2\ centuries and is today stronger than ever, with all of us being a testament to what our forefathers envisioned, being a free people, participating in self- governance, with an understanding of the vision and divine intervention that created this country 250 years ago. Mr. Speaker, 250 years that at times has involved struggle, hardship, discrimination, and war, while also yielding 250 years of freedom, opportunity, respect, compassion, and unprecedented prosperity. It was 250 years of building a truly inspirational legacy that warrants a generational celebration to confirm that Americans have the right to be proud of our country, to celebrate what it means to be an American. Now this right to celebrate our 250th milestone does not mean that we should ignore or rewrite our history, but that we should look upon that history with a full and accurate understanding of what it means, both in terms of our dark periods and our incredible accomplishments. I will say it again because it bears repeating: America is the greatest country in the history of the world. Despite that fact, there are many individuals, including some who serve in this very body and who are running for office, who claim otherwise, and who seek to tear us apart from within so that they can replace this Republic with the same type of failed states that exist elsewhere in the world. They claim that we have no American culture. They argue that slavery is our original sin and that we should be forever and only defined by that history. They claim that our forefathers, the Founders of this country, are not worth honoring, but should instead be excised from our collective consciousness. So, while American pride has historically been part of the fabric of our society, there has been an organized move afoot since at least the 1960s to undermine our reverence for this great country. Those actions have taken several forms, such as with claims that America was never great; with the retelling of our history; or with slanderous accusations about who we are, what we believe in, and the contributions that we have made to the world. Considering the fact that we are celebrating 2\1/2\ centuries of America's existence this year, I think it is high time that we confront those sentiments head-on and expose those narratives for what they are--an effort to destroy our republican form of government to make way for the implementation of failed policies, moral bankruptcies, and the human suffering found in socialism and Marxism. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to remind everyone as to what has made us such a great country, why our history is worth defending, and to emphasize that the future of America is bright indeed. [[Page H4201]] It is time that we celebrate America and everything that it means to be American. American Shame Ms. HAGEMAN. Just this last summer, we learned that the number of American adults who claim to be very proud of their country reached another record low. In Gallup's 25-year patriotism survey, just 17 percent, or less than one in five American adults, reported that they were very proud of being an American. The number of adults who claimed to be extremely proud reached a 25- year low and has now fallen to below 60 percent. I hope that by focusing on America's 250th anniversary and looking back over our history with honesty and accuracy, we will reverse these declines. I am, in fact, optimistic that these festivities we have already enjoyed are currently inspiring a new sense of purpose in our national identity, and I believe that we are on the right track to making America proud again. Watching the soccer sports revelers who are discovering the United States for the first time should make us all proud. I know it does me. Gallup's survey should cause us to take notice of what a lack of pride in our country portends in the long term, while forcing us to confront what the sustained attacks on our American identity have done in the past and are doing to us now. Many of our neighbors are asking why patriotism appears to be on the decline when there is so much to celebrate about the United States of America. What is behind this self-hatred that has permeated many of our institutions? What is the ultimate destination of this downward spiral into despair? What does intentional disparagement mean for our younger generations? The answers to these questions are not a mystery. They lie within the deep, dark caverns of our political divisions and are boiling up into the public square by those individuals and organizations who seek to turn us into yet another failed state. Our excitement for America has been dimmed by accusations of an unacceptable morality, and our self-image has been tarnished by a novel self-flagellation as part of a new revolution. It is a familiar revolution; a color revolution; a digital revolution illuminating a national dysphoria; a rapid onset extortion of American identity. Self-Reflection to Self-Hatred Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, our 250-year quest to become a more perfect union has always involved asking hard questions and self-reflection: How do we fulfill the promises of our founding documents in the context of governing this vast country from east to west and north to south? How are we maintaining our core values of freedom, justice, and equality? How do we couple self-autonomy and liberty with civic responsibility? How are we lifting up and caring for our most desperate citizens in need? We must continuously ask these questions because we must never lose sight of the promise of America. We know that there are aspects of our history during which our ancestors failed to live up to what this country stands for, and I am not standing here today to pretend that there is no shame in parts of our past. Like so many countries around the world, the barbarism and shame of slavery is a stain on our early identity. Slavery is, in fact, an indelible part of the history of almost every country, from Western nations to the Middle East, to South America, to Africa, and beyond. But how we ultimately eradicated that stain is what sets America apart. We overcame slavery's horror to eliminate this demon in our national spirit. We tore our country apart with the Union fighting to abolish slavery from our shores. The ultimate victory was a great triumph, and by fighting to uphold our own standards as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution, we have had a moral redemption of the American character. Unlike the other countries around the world who had slavery or continue to practice it to this day, we endured the exorcism of a Civil War, and we emerged to secure a stronger, more equal, more just, and more determined union. Over 150 years ago, our ancestors fought fathers against sons and brothers against brothers to eradicate slavery. Through the focus, leadership, and determination of the great men and women, such as Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman, righteousness prevailed. Americans are rightfully proud of our demand for justice, freedom, and liberty. These characteristics are part of our national identity. But what do these words mean? Do we define them differently today than in years past? Have we evolved? What does it mean to be proud to be an American? I think that we all know, but we have allowed numerous malign influences to take control of the dialogue and to try and convince us that our history is not worth celebrating. {time} 2050 That is why I am on the floor of the United States House of Representatives today, to remind all of us as to who and what we are and, perhaps just as importantly, what we are not, despite what has been claimed as of late. In my opinion, America 250 is the perfect moment to restore our sacred pride and to challenge the slander of those who despise the freedom of personal responsibility and self-governance, and we have an obligation to be honest about what America is and what it isn't as we enter the golden age of America's next 250. American is Not an Idea Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I stand here to remind Americans about how our united history, culture, language, literature, art, music, traditions, and innovations that define us as a nation long predate our independence. I start by being unequivocally clear: America was born with the very best ideas put forth and memorialized by some of the very best minds. I want to emphasize, however, that our country itself is far from a mere idea or a state of mind. America is a nation of people who share common values, traditions, history, and fate. We have been a charitable people from the beginning. We have long been a blessing to the world because of our culture of giving, hope, perseverance, and redemption. We are united by the Judeo-Christian values that compelled our first ance