Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of Americans signed their names to a piece of parchment and made a promise no nation had ever made before: that we're all created equal, endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We're the only nation in history built not on ethnicity, or blood, or geography but on an idea. That's always been what makes us exceptional. We chose that path 250 years ago but that’s where the work began, not where it ended. Every generation has had to choose it again. At Valley Forge, at Gettysburg, on the beaches of Normandy, in the streets of Selma. Americans recommitted themselves to the principles on which our nation was founded.
Now it's our turn.
There's nothing guaranteed about our democracy. We have to fight for it, defend it, and earn it. Over and over, year after year. That's not a burden. That's what it means to be an American.
250 years in, we still haven't fully lived up to those words in the Declaration. But we've never walked away from them, and this July 4, I hope all of us can commit to one thing: that we never will. I don't believe we're as divided as we're told we are. I've bet my whole life on the American people, and I'm not stopping now.
Happy 250th birthday, America. Our story isn't finished. Let's keep writing it together.
Age of each of these countries:
USA: 250 years
Netherlands: 445 years
Sweden: 503 years
Spain: 547 years
Monaco: 729 years
Switzerland: 735 years
Thailand: 788 years
Mongolia: 820 years
Portugal: 883 years
Hungary: 1,026 years
Poland: 1,060 years
Denmark: 1,061 years
England: 1,099 years
Norway: 1,154 years
Russia: 1,164 years
France: 1,183 years
Morocco: 1,238 years
Bulgaria: 1,345 years
China: 2,246 years
Iran: 2,575 years
Japan: 2,685 years
Ethiopia: 3,000 years
Egypt: 5,125 years
America is a constant work in progress. Every generation must take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further—protecting what’s right, fixing what’s wrong, and making our union a little more perfect. 250 years later, that’s more important than ever.
So much of my story—and Barack's—runs through the South Side of Chicago. We had so much fun going down memory lane with @People, sharing moments from the decades we've spent together, the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, and the work we still have left to do in our next chapter. We hope you'll check out the interview: https://t.co/N7HgrjrQRj
Christina Aguilera sings "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong at the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center
It's one of President Obama's favorite songs!
She doesn’t know it yet, but in 6 months, by the permission of God, she’ll be:
• financially at peace
• traveling to places God has called her to.
• living with more blessings than she ever imagined
She’s you, sis.
Keep praying . Keep believing . Keep trusting God. 🤍
I am Michelle, and she is alllll of US. Because don’t we all turn into the lead singer when our favorite song comes on? 😂🎤
Ohhhhhhhh the joy of the Obama’s- loooove to see it…They’re deeply missed.✨🎶🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
#obama#obamalibrary@MichelleObama@BarackObama#America250
To George and Laura, Bill and Hillary — we're grateful for your friendship, counsel, and devotion to this country. And to Joe and Jill, thank you for being on this journey with us.
Obama Presidential Center: New site honoring the 44th president's legacy holds opening ceremony in Chicago with all living presidents except Trump present. Follow live updates. https://t.co/sPwsbRWsra
Barack Obama opened his presidential center in Chicago, the city that launched his trajectory to the White House as the country’s first Black president.
The 19-acre grounds open officially to the public on Friday, the Juneteenth holiday. https://t.co/9X7eLL4LWU
I remember my Grandma telling me the story of how my Great Great Great Grandfather was 5yrs old when they became free and how I got to grow up with my Great Great Grandmother who would be the first member of my family born Free in the US. Oh, I celebrate Freedom.
We take so many things for granted in this country but man the work so many of our people have put in before us. Ought to be celebrated. We are here because of them! We have the freedoms we have today, that others still wished they had in their own countries because of them!