Celebrating Those Who Built America on It’s 250th Birthday
by Region 8 Webmaster John Davis
On July 4, 2026, America will celebrate our 250th birthday. At this time, it is important we remember where we came from and where we are going.
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence, penned primarily by Thomas Jefferson. This document declared the thirteen American colonies to be “free and independent states.” This declaration came after battles that had began in April of 1775 and continued until the surrender of the British following the loss at the Battle of  Yorktown October 19, 1781.
In the years that followed, America grew from an idea to a reality. Cities sprung up, roads were built, more wars fought and a way of life developed. Democracy was an idea that had to evolve, because it wasn’t available to all from the start. It took more revolutions to give workers, women and African Americans the same protections that rich white men enjoyed.
America became a true melting pot, as immigrants poured in from Ireland, France, Germany, Holland, China and virtually every country on Earth. The immigrants faced discrimination from those who were usually just a generation or two from being immigrants themselves. The immigrants often performed the hardest jobs, from building the railroads, mining and digging canals. Many died doing hazardous work, with the idea of a better life inspiring them through the danger. We must remember those who were forced here as slaves that created the fortunes the slave owners processed.
In the early days of our nation, land grants were given to poor families, as they pushed west to try and carve out a life. What they weren’t told, was the land they were given was already in use by tribes of Native Americans. These settlers created a barrier between the native people and the wealthy land barons. The barons stood by ready to take the land once the poor people and the natives killed each other off. The rich and affluent pitted working people against each other then, just as they do now. Once the soil was soaked with blood, they swooped in and  took the land and all the improvements the settlers had made.
In a recent interview, Donald Trump stated "These people (the wealthy) built the country, not the complainers. The complainers didn't build the country... whether it's fishermen or farmers or anything else. Me. Guys like me, they built the country."
This is the narrative the wealthy want us to believe and too many do. You think Donald Trump has ever built anything? He has a long history of stiffing workers and small businesses. Men like Trump have never sweated to dig a trench, load a truck, built a vehicle, worked helping the sick in a clinic or laid a rail to drive progress. The legacy of America is about those who made the sacrifices, those whose blood is part of the mortar that holds this country together.
As we celebrate this milestone in our history, it is the workers we need to remember. The laborers who made the steel, mined the coal, built the railroads, constructed the buildings, worked the offices, taught the children and assembled the products that made America great. It was the soldiers who placed their life on the line, who defended our liberty and fought the wars. Those in an office whose only worry is their tee time at the club are not the builders of America. It is the workers.
As we prepare to commemorate this milestone in our country’s history, make sure it is THE WORKERS we celebrate. Not those who want to take credit. Many think Elon Musk is a genius who made his trillions. Some of Musk’s family fortune came from an emerald mine in South Africa. He used his fortune to buy Paypal, Tesla, Space X, Twitter. None of those things was his idea. He is a venture capitalist that buys companies and takes the value and leaves employees and investors in his wake. Engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning developed the electric car that Tesla produces. However, this year Tesla’s board approved a $158.4 billion dollar deal to encourage Musk to “spend more of his time at the electric vehicle maker.” The average worker who actually produces the vehicles make about $56,000 a year while the CEO gets over 22,000,000 times their pay to “pay more attention.”
America is more than land or an idea- it is people. People from all walks of life, different nationalities, different religions, different social conditions and all should be celebrated. As a nation we should celebrate our diversity, not condemn it. The original framers of our constitution envisioned it that way, even if they didn’t always practice it.
Democracy is a model that has evolved to achieve it’s original purpose. As we celebrate this milestone, the greatest thing we can do for America is to defend democracy and oppose those who would try to destroy it. This nation was born out of revolution and we must remember we are not to be ruled by our leaders but rather served. Let’s preserve our democracy so the next generation will be free Americans rather than subjects to a king.
John Davis
UAW Local 2195 Region 8
LUCA Advisory Council Chair
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