On April 19, 1775 — 250 years ago today — the British Royal Army clashed with colonial militia in Massachusetts. Lexington and Concord marked the first battle of the War for Independence, villages outside Boston ringing with the “shot heard ‘round the world.” Why did ordinary farmers and shopkeepers rise up against their imperial masters? Because liberty and self-government mattered above all earthly things.
That civic spirit is fading fast from America today. A recent Gallup poll found that only 41% of people would be willing to fight if our country were invaded. From the rise of political extremism to the decline of civic knowledge, we face diminishing appreciation for the meaning and value of our freedom. Gallup recently found alarmingly low patriotism among the 18-29 cohort: Only 18% are “extremely proud” to be American, down from over 40% in 2015. Our founders would have seen this “civics deficit” as existential. How can we defend ourselves from threats abroad if we don’t understand what we love about our home?
