2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, and the country is gearing up to celebrate. But how should we think about this occasion? Is a national anniversary a moment to look backward or forward? Is the founding best understood as a peak or a launching point? And how should we understand our relation to the generation that declared independence? These questions are more complex than they seem, and taking them seriously can help us appreciate the significance of the coming year. 

Yuval Levin is the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy and director of social, cultural and constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute. He is the editor of National Affairs and a contributing editor to National Review, and his essays and articles have appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Commentary, The Atlantic. He is the author, most recently, of “American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation — and Could Again.” He served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff under President George W. Bush and a as congressional staffer. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.