Eddie Glaude Jr. Urges U.S. to Grow Up at 250th Anniversary
Updated
Updated · NPR · Jun 15
Eddie Glaude Jr. Urges U.S. to Grow Up at 250th Anniversary
3 articles · Updated · NPR · Jun 15
Summary
Princeton historian Eddie Glaude Jr. says the United States should use its 250th anniversary as a moment to confront its future rather than simply celebrate its past.
At 250, he argues, the country’s “divided soul” is fully exposed, making national maturity and honest self-examination the central test of the milestone.
In “America, U.S.A.,” Glaude frames that warning through the lens of earlier anniversaries and centennials, using past commemorations to assess what the nation has — and has not — resolved.
His broader message is that the semiquincentennial is not just symbolic pageantry but a referendum on whether America can reckon with its internal contradictions.