And vow that the next generation will know what we know: that we live in freedom because of the sacrifices in the past, that this great experiment in self-governance is worth the struggle because men were designed by God to live in dignity and liberty.

Grill and swim and watch the World Cup, by all means, but take time to let your heart be moved by how absurdly blessed we are to live in this great nation on this great day.

Let the party begin!

Opinions expressed in this newsletter, unless otherwise attributed, are my own.

Sheryl Collmer, editor
July 2, 2026
sherylc@coracusa.com

Few know that John Adams was the driver of the greatest part of the principles stated in the Declaration. He was its intellectual foundation – and the chairman of the Committee of Five which drafted it. Adams was, in many ways, a proud and driven man who could get offensively cranky when he did not prevail. But he was also an honest and candid critic of himself. Though he had the right, as committee chair, to draft the final Declaration, he knew very well that he wrote like an accountant. His friend – and often early rival – Thomas Jefferson, had a brilliant flair for writing – and routinely could turn a phrase that memorably captured the imagination and stirred the soul. So Adams, far more committed to the cause of liberty than to self-promotion (though he was certainly committed to the latter, as well) assigned turning the principles into stirring words to Jefferson, who had such a flair for it.

Jefferson was a man of passion and genius, but a lover of scheming intrigue and often blindingly poor judgment. In his first draft of the Declaration, he included a lengthy and biting denunciation of the slave trade. There was no fault with the substance of it, but the purpose of the Declaration was to unite the 13 colonies in a unified revolt from England. Many of them were slave states. However true Jefferson’s condemnation, it would serve to alienate a good chunk of the states. There would be no revolution. So, to Jefferson’s loud complaints, Adams and the rest of the committee removed that section, as harmful, probably deadly, to the main purpose of the document.

Ironically, Adams never held any slaves. Jefferson did. For all his complaints, he never freed any of his slaves, either. Contrary to the limitations of small minds, it did not mean that Jefferson was not sincere. Nor did Adams’ removal of the clause mean that he supported slavery. He detested it. He wanted to get America off the ground well first.

Jefferson had a weird obsession for revolution, generally. He supported the French Revolution long after it was clear that it was just an orgy of blood and nothing, at all, like the American Revolution. As President George Washington’s Secretary of State, Jefferson basely intrigued against his own administration and set various newspapers to try to undercut Washington. Yet Jefferson was truly a gifted genius – a man of contradictions.

During the Washington administration, Jefferson and Adams became more than rivals; they became often bitter opponents, a stance that continued for the rest of their active political careers. In their dotage, they became devoted pen pals, writing to each other constantly with real affection. In fact, one of my favorite lines ever came from one of Jefferson’s letters to Adams. “I am sorry to write such a long letter,” he apologetically began, “but I did not have time to write a short one.” Through friendship that developed into bitter rivalry, they still had served as compatriots in one of the greatest achievements in world history – and they understood the gravity and worth of that.

It was Abraham Lincoln who most clearly understood and championed what the founders had accomplished. Some silly faux intellectuals criticize him because his primary object was to preserve the union, not to end slavery. He wanted to end slavery, but preserving the union was his paramount goal. In his private writings and public utterances, he knew the astonishing measure of what the founders had accomplished.

Every governing system is eventually brought down by its flaws, which gain mass and weight as time wears on. Every system has flaws. Lincoln saw that the founders had created a system capable of healing itself as time went on and those flaws become clearer, rather than letting them amass weight. In his Annual Message to Congress in 1862, Lincoln said boldly that, “We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.” Lincoln’s urgency was driven by his realization that with America, the world finally had a system that could heal itself and grow in goodness and grace. If it failed, then efforts to govern ourselves could only ever be a series of collapsing systems, varying only by the rate of their inevitable failure.

As I was considering conversion to Catholicism, I realized that Christianity was the first religion in world history which did not depend on ethnicity, nationality, or any other external factor for membership. A person simply had to subscribe, as best they could and with real effort, to the principles and truths enunciated by Christ. If they did so, they could become fully Christian, despite their flaws. It was then I realized that, in a very real sense, America was the first nation on earth forged according to God’s own plan, according to His own image.

People often look for God’s voice in the thunder. Though I have heard it there, I think He speaks to us profoundly and frequently in gentle whispers. I love the ordinary – and I look for His presence there in His creation more than anywhere else. I think the coincidence of Adams and Jefferson passing together on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of which they were the primary authors was no coincidence at all. I think it was an affectionate little wink from our benevolent God. In it, I hear fond echoes of Benjamin Franklin’s definition of what our system was: “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

She is a grand, old flag, indeed!

Tune in online or on tv for some of these great events. Times are Eastern Daylight.

More info here >

My opinion is that our big 250th anniversary, our Semiquincentennial, our national birthday, would not be the glorious occasion that it is… without President Trump. He’s been building up to it for a long time now. It’s close to his heart; he was talking about it and planning for it when no one else was even tuned in.

His leadership has helped produce the spectacle that’s unfolding right now: the clean, safe nation’s capitol, the restored monuments, a US military that’s proud rather than cowed, legions of visitors from other countries who can’t stop talking about how wonderful our country is and how great her people are.

Think what this holiday would look like if the crew of America-haters had been left in power.

We would be seeing drag queens, naked parades, filthy streets and grafitti on our monuments. Maybe a rainbow flag projected on the Washington Monument. The military would not have recovered from the wound inflicted when unvaxxed military were cut loose, nor from the indignity of having men dressed as women in command positions. Washington DC would be populated with some of the worst of the worst. The country would be hemorrhaging.

The country we celebrate on Saturday is recovered, and coming back! It’s like God is giving us a birthday present.

This year, like never before, take a break from swimming and grilling, and honor the flag.

Watching the fans from other countries have so much fun in America has been the most joyful thing I’ve seen in a very long time, the best birthday present America could receive! And the performance of the US national team is delighting the generations of kids who grew up playing soccer. This World Cup experience in the United States is some kind of turning point for the world. If you think I’m exaggerating, then you haven’t been tuned in to social media the last few weeks.

One common theme is that America and her people have been misrepresented in the international media for a long time. Now that millions of visitors have come to America and seen for themselves what a beautiful, hospitable, positive country we have, maybe people will start to wonder who benefits from having the world despise America.

I made this quick video for those who have missed the experience so far. Enjoy!

There’s more to come, with the US team making it to the Round of 16, matches played on the Fourth of July, and the Cup being awarded on July 19.

Learn more here >

The whole World Cup phenomenon is going into the history books!

Time is getting short; Independence Day is only two days away. So I am recommending a short course in Revolutionary War history >

I judge this book to be good for adults as well as teens. It gives you the hard info, but in a lighthearted manner that is probably aimed at kids who hated history class. It’s a quick read, and a good intro for your deeper dives into the Founding Era.

The Deeper Dives

Books: John Adams by David McCullough; Alexander Hamilton or Washington: A Life, both by Pulitzer prize winner Ron Chernow; Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause, both by Jeff Shaara.

Films: John Adams with Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney; The Crossing with Jeff Daniels; The Patriot with Mel Gibson; 1776, a musical; and a host of documentaries like The American Revolution by Ken Burns, and Benedict Arnold, Hero Betrayed with Martin Sheen.

Fr. Emil Kapaun was a heroic picture of dedication to God and country. He was one of only nine military chaplains who have received the Medal of Honor, America’s highest military honor (awarded posthumously.) He shows by his life that patriotism, service and dedication to God are synchronous and complementary. My article about him is here, with links at the end for further reading:

crisismagazine.com >

Some of the best sources I’ve found for independent news:

Jeff Childers, Coffee and Covid

Elizabeth Nickson, Welcome to Absurdistan

Chris Jackson, Hiraeth in Exile

Dave, X-22 Report

BioClandestine

Everything in our world militates against the thoughtful and deliberate pursuit of a good life. This CORAC video series helps us reclaim it.

You can find all the episodes here: Lectio Vitae.