Reference News Network, November 19 report: The UK's The Economist website published an article titled "A Divided America Approaches Its 250th Anniversary" on November 10. The author is James Bennett. The translation is as follows:
Donald Trump may not be the most eloquent person, but when he announced that a fight would be held on the White House lawn to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, he skillfully used a brilliant metaphor. The next year will have many parades, fireworks, and commemorative coins. However, in the second year of Trump's second term, the octagonal cage that will be erected on the South Lawn before July 4, 2026, and the ultimate fighters who will compete in it, will best represent the state of American society, at least the state reflected by American politics. However, this is only to a certain extent: the UFC differs from American politics, as it still adheres to some sports rules.
The one-year-long 250th-anniversary commemoration is not just a metaphor for the divided state of the United States, but a direct display. Two competing national committees are planning related events. In 2016, Congress established the "250th Anniversary of the United States Committee," composed of an equal number of well-known people from both Democratic and Republican parties. Its honorary co-chairs are the Obamas and the Bushes, and it seeks to present the story of the United States in a non-partisan way. There are also representatives from the Trump administration within this committee.
However, after regaining the presidency, Trump issued an executive order establishing his own "250th Anniversary Working Group" to "commemorate the history of our great country." He serves as chairman, with the leadership entirely appointed by the Trump administration. It remains unclear how these two committees will coordinate.
In the United States, the past has become a battlefield for partisan struggles. According to Trump, it was the left that initiated the attack first. He complained that over the past decade, these people have "conspired" to "rewrite the history of our country" in order to cultivate a sense of "national shame." In March 2025, he issued an executive order requiring a review of how the story of the United States is told in federal historical sites and Smithsonian museums. His goal is to glorify the greatness of the United States and eliminate "divisive narratives." In September, The Washington Post reported that the government had ordered the removal of several signs and exhibits related to slavery in national parks.
When the United States celebrated its 200th anniversary in 1976, the nation was struggling through a divided era, marked by assassinations, the exposure of Watergate, and the failure of the Vietnam War.
With the efforts of a bipartisan committee, the government successfully held a patriotic celebration. A "Liberty Train" carried important documents of the nation and evidence of national achievements such as moon rocks from one town to another, and a fleet of tall ships sailed into New York Harbor. Gerald Ford, who was in a difficult presidential campaign, enjoyed these celebrations.
Ford later exaggeratedly wrote that due to the 250th-anniversary commemoration, "the nation's wounds had healed." This received criticism from both the left and the right. At that time, distrust of the government was bipartisan. Since then, it has become increasingly polarized. In 1976, the institutions of the United States, from Congress to the courts to the media, were much healthier.
The imagination of Ford's government was not as strong as that of the Trump administration. Even the then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told Ford, "We are powerless over the past." Trump would never be satisfied with such defeatism. He may not read as much as Kissinger, but he seems to have a deeper understanding of George Orwell's famous quote: "He who controls the present controls the past. He who controls the past controls the future." (Translated by Li Sha)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7574335631921250862/
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