Reckon, Celebrate, and Imagine
Telling our Nation's Story
The telling of American history itself has often been polarized, emphasizing only the good or only the bad of our nation’s story. The semiquincentennial should be used to create shared narratives about both the glory and the gory of the American past. We should celebrate our country’s achievements while also reckoning with mistakes and failures. Reckoning with mistakes and failures also requires adhering to curatorial best practices when presenting material or artifacts connected to histories of violence. With an honest understanding of where we have been, what we have achieved, and what we have yet to achieve as a country, we can create a clearer vision of what we imagine for the future of our constitutional democracy.
Key Features
For the 250th to be effective, it will be important for programs and events to challenge people across the political spectrum to engage with all sides of the nation’s story rather than aligning with only one, limited version of it. The following are practices to encourage a more comprehensive approach to the telling of the nation’s story.
- Crafting a balanced message: Narratives for the 250th should evenly balance both celebrating and critically reflecting on the country’s past and future. One view should not be prioritized over the over. Striking the appropriate balance in communications about the 250th is necessary to maximize participation in the commemoration.
- Building cross-ideological partnerships: Balancing the values of “reckoning, celebrating, and imagining” within marketing and programmatic efforts around the 250th requires finding the right messengers to communicate the significance of each principle. This requires having people on all sides of the political spectrum at the table for 250th programs and events.
- Prioritizing the local: Some of the most promising efforts around inclusive historical storytelling are happening at the local level. Media partners should help uplift the stories of communities that are contending with their own histories and working together to solve problems.
New America’s 250th initiative is guided by the following values: pride in the nation’s progress, reckoning with historical and contemporary wrongs that have caused the nation to fall short of its ideals, and aspiration for an inclusive democracy governed by the principles of equality, fairness, and opportunity. New America’s US@250 fellowship program provides funding and resources to leaders putting these values into practice. Fellows come from different parts of the country and a diverse range of backgrounds. They are creating projects that build civic engagement, create connections between Americans of different backgrounds, and help Americans think about the national story heading into 2026. New America is also hosting constellation events, including poetry slams and comedy shows, that are inviting people to have organic conversations around historical and democratic themes. Learn more about the US @ 250 initiative.
More in Common conducted a year-long research project where they heard from thousands of Americans about their views on history and national identity. The report found that the majority of Americans from all different ideological backgrounds share fundamental values about American history and how it should be taught. They offer guidance on how to strike the right balance in the teaching of historical narratives. Learn more about the “Defusing the History Wars” report here.
The AASLH’s Field Guide provides guiding themes and discussion questions to help historical organizations as they prepare for 2026. The guide’s themes encourage practitioners to create events and programs that enable participants to reflect on the country’s achievements while acknowledging its many challenges and ambiguity. Find the field guide here.
Learn more about our recommendations for telling our nation's story.