DAVE CLARK: 250 years later, the American experiment endures

Source Summary

What does it mean to be an American? As you turn the pages of this special section commemorating America's 250th anniversary, you'll find stories about the people, events and ideals that shaped our lives. You'll read about moments of triumph and moments of struggle. You'll see examples of courage, sacrifice, innovation and determination. We are a nation of nearly 340 million people, with different backgrounds, beliefs, religions, political views and life experiences. We disagree about taxes, schools, roads, foreign policy and just about everything else that can be debated around a kitchen table or over coffee at the local diner. Yet despite those differences, there remains a thread that connects us. It is the same thread that connected farmers, merchants and tradesmen who gathered in Philadelphia 250 years ago to declare that ordinary people should have a voice in their own government. At our core, being an American means believing in freedom and in living the lives we choose. Not perfect freedom. Not freedom without responsibility. We enjoy the kind of freedom that is the envy of the rest of the world - to chart our own course, pursue our own dreams and speak our minds without fear of punishment from those in power. The founders understood that liberty would be messy. People would disagree. Arguments would erupt. Newspapers would criticize government officials. Citizens would challenge laws and demand change. In fact, they counted on it. Freedom of speech remains one of the most remarkable promises ever written into a nation's governing principles. It protects speech we agree with. More importantly, it protects speech we don't. The true test of free speech isn't whether we defend popular opinions. It's whether we tolerate unpopular ones. Free speech simply means...