07/06/2026
Americaâs Three and a half Second Miracle
In 1852, Karl Marx said "Men make their own history,
but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it
under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under
circumstances directly encountered and transmitted from the
past."
He obviously knew about the Magna Carta (1215) and
the English Parliamentâs Bill of Rights (1689), which created
a separation of powers between the King and elected
representatives. What he didnât pay much attention to was
how the United States broke with history and improved upon
these documents with the Declaration of Independence and
Constitution so well thought out that it has only been amended
twenty-seven times in 235 years. Men and women can make
their own history here. Karl Marx was wrong. No one puts it
better than Ronald Reagan; the excerpt below comes directly
from his Commencement Address at the University of Notre
Dame back on May 17, 1981.
"This Nation was born when a band of men, the
Founding Fathers, a group so unique we've never seen their
like since, rose to such selfless heights. Lawyers, tradesmen,
merchants, farmers â fifty-six men achieved security and
standing in life but valued freedom more. They pledged their
lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Sixteen of them
gave their lives. Most gave their fortunes. All preserved their
sacred honor.â
âThey gave us more than a nation. They brought to all
mankind for the first time the concept that man was born free,
that each of us has inalienable rights, ours by the grace of God,
and that government was created by us for our convenience,
having only the powers that we choose to give it. This is the
heritage that you're about to claim as you come out to join the
society made up of those who have preceded you by a few
years, or some of us by a great many.â
âThis experiment in man's relation to man is a few years
into its third century. Saying that may make it sound quite old.
But let's look at it from another viewpoint or perspective. A
few years ago, someone figured out that if you could condense
the entire history of life on Earth into a motion picture that
would run for 24 hours a day, 365 days â maybe on leap years
we could have an intermission â this idea that is the United
States wouldn't appear on the screen until 3.5 seconds before
midnight on December 31st. And in those 3.5 seconds not only
would a new concept of society come into being, a golden
hope for all mankind, but more than half the activity,
economic activity in world history, would take place on this
continent. Free to express their genius, individual Americans,
men and women, in 3.5 seconds, would perform such miracles
of invention, construction, and production as the world had
never seen.â
America has proven that men and women not only can
make their own history, but they can make it as they please,
with circumstances chosen by themselves. Happy 4th of July
to you all. Letâs take time this week to step back and realize
just how fortunate we are to live in a time and place where the
fire of invention still burns hot, course corrections (however
messy they may be) still take place, and the future remains
bright. May we continue to honor the legacy of those who
came before us by striving to uphold the principles that have
made this country a beacon of hope and freedom for the world.
