This series and National birthday wishes are provided by the Nebraska Press Association.

For me, the two most monumental and consequential events in our country's history are the American Revolution and the American Civil War.

My connection to the Revolution is personal. My great-grandfather was Dr. Josiah Bartlett (1829-1862), a state-elected representative for the first legislature in the State of Kansas, who is buried in Topeka. His great-grandfather, also named Dr. Josiah Bartlett, was the first Governor of New Hampshire and a Founding Father who signed the Declaration of Independence. If you look at the document, his signature sits right at the top of the right-hand column.

Those 56 individuals who signed that document knew exactly what they were doing. To the British and many colonial loyalists, they were committing high treason, an act punishable by being drawn, quartered, and summarily executed. According to British edicts, the Crown could legally seize all of these “traitors'” assets and prosecute their families. These revolutionaries—made up of merchants, lawyers, physicians, and farmers—risked it all because they had simply had enough.

Deemed criminals, they declared their intent to self-govern, marking the first time in history that a group of people demanded self-determination. As the world watched, John Hancock encouraged the state delegates, saying, “We must all hang together,” to which Ben Franklin famously quipped, “Yes, we must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately”.

The backlash was swift and severe. Homes and properties were destroyed, family members were imprisoned, and many Founding Fathers died in poverty after being ostracized by loyalists. Yet, not one recanted their signature. These men are a testament to courage and resilience, dedicating their lives so that generations after them could live free.

However, as the newly independent country grew, a terrible cancer spread across the land, threatening our very existence: slavery.

This moral and economic conflict came to a political head as the country expanded West. Southern states wanted the right to own slaves expanded into new territories, while the North disagreed. They finally settled on the contentious solution of popular sovereignty, letting new states individually decide by vote. But heightened passions only led to physical confrontations, which ultimately ignited the all-out conflict of the Civil War.

No one thought the war would last long, nor did they anticipate carnage the likes of which the world had never seen. One hundred sixty-three years ago, the most devastating battle of this shocking war took place at Gettysburg, resulting in 50,000 American casualties. Lincoln desperately needed to pull the country together before all was lost. Yet, at the dedication of the battlefield’s cemetery, the President was so maligned that he wasn’t even the keynote speaker; he was invited merely as an afterthought.

Lincoln took that opportunity to remind America what the nation and the Founding Fathers stood for, and why the unfathomable sacrifice at Gettysburg was worth it. His words are a must-read for every American.

So, as we reflect on our history, ask yourself: What have you done for our country lately? Find your niche, consume less, and provide more.

As we reflect on the 250th anniversary, honor and remember what others have done before us in the name of Liberty. Happy Birthday, and God Bless America!