Xiaoyan Zhang, Ph.D. December 2025

Celebrating Social Progress Since the Founding

In 1776, when the founders of the thirteen North American colonies resolved to separate from the British Empire, they confronted the unprecedented challenge of designing a nation grounded in reason rather than inherited monarchy or religious dogma. The drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence had to articulate the origin of political authority and define the relationship between the people and their government. Thomas Jefferson, as the principal drafter, with contributions from Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, crafted the sentence often called “the greatest ever written”:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

This formulation asserts that rights arise naturally at birth and that individuals delegate limited authority to their elected representatives to form a government. This arrangement constitutes a social contract that holds public officials and governmental institutions accountable. On this basis, the Declaration maintains that whenever a government becomes destructive of these ends, “it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.” Abraham Lincoln later distilled this principle as “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

This philosophical framework represented a major milestone in the history of political thought. However, the realization of its ideals has been an ongoing process. At the time of the Declaration’s signing, “all men” applied only to white male property owners, excluding women, enslaved people, and Native Americans. Although discrimination persists, a central dimension of American social progress over the past 250 years has been the gradual expansion of equal rights to all people.

Finding Common Ground in Twenty-First-Century America

The principles articulated in the Declaration unified a diverse population of colonists, immigrants, and pilgrims by defining a shared foundation and common aspirations. Today, the United States confronts a transformed global economic order, an AI-driven technological revolution, and demographic changes that are leading toward a minority-majority society. Meeting these challenges and developing solutions that benefit all Americans is a matter of collective interest.

The question, therefore, is whether the same principles—now understood to include all individuals—can once again help Americans find common purpose and renewed aspirations.

We commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration because of its self-evident truths, its affirmation of human equality and unalienable rights, the Constitution that safeguards those rights, and the democratic institutions based on checks and balances together provide a durable framework capable of guiding a diverse population through peaceful evolution. The collective wisdom derived from multiple civilizations and cultural traditions surpasses that of any single source. Embracing a pluralistic society and strengthening a multiethnic democracy offer a path through which the American people can create a brighter future for generations to come.

AAPI Contributions to the American Story

Long mischaracterized as “economic threats” or “perpetual foreigners,” Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have been integral contributors to the American story. We, too, affirm the truths expressed in the Declaration of Independence.

Commemorating the Declaration’s 250th anniversary offers the AAPI community an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the “American DNA” embodied in its founding principles. For many first-generation immigrants, this understanding helps bridge the psychological gap between feeling like outsiders and embracing an American identity. For future generations, it reinforces both love of country and pride in their ancestral heritage.

In an immigrant nation, the status of any minority group is shaped by its contributions and leadership. The 25 million AAPI Americans—constituting 7.2 percent of the population—have already made, and will continue to make, distinctive contributions as the United States enters an AI-empowered, pluralistic era. AAPI communities must participate fully in the America250 commemoration as stakeholders and storytellers. As heirs to ancient civilizations, AAPI Americans can bring the essence of their cultural traditions into American economic, social, and political life, thereby enriching the national fabric and advancing democratic leadership.

While the AAPI community shares certain interests, it is equally an inseparable part of a broader community of shared destiny with all Americans.

Achieving Our Shared American Dream

The assertion that “all humans are created equal” lays the foundation for the United States as a land of opportunity. This principle is the core of the shared American Dream. In his 1931 work The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams described this dream not as one of material wealth, but as:

“a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”

Martin Luther King Jr. further refined this vision by calling for a society in which individuals are judged solely by “the content of their character.”

Achieving this shared dream requires both sociological and biological processes. Social progress often emerges through negotiation, conflict resolution, and legislation enacted through democratic institutions. Such progress occurs gradually, but it transforms society on a broad scale. Interracial marriage accelerates integration at the individual and family levels. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the multiracial population grew from 9 million in 2010 to 33.8 million in 2020—a 276 percent increase.

Recognizing that humanity is ultimately one, we must strive for a society in which every person can achieve their full potential and live a fulfilling life. Communication and interaction across different backgrounds foster understanding and appreciation. Appreciation cultivates respect, and respect builds the trust necessary for collaboration.

As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is up to all of us to work together toward realizing our shared American Dream.