As the United States turns 250 years old in 2026, many of us celebrate and are thankful to have grown up in such a free and prosperous country. We were taught by our parents, grandparents, and teachers to appreciate the uniqueness of America and the freedom and values of Western civilization.

Some of our grandfathers, for example, fought with the Allies during World War II for the cause of freedom, and many of them rescued Jews from Nazi concentration camps. We also saw first-hand the celebrations in Europe when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and we had the opportunity to see the eventual downfall of the oppressive communist Soviet regime, thanks in large part to the vision of President Ronald Reagan. In addition, none of us can forget where we were when Islamist jihadists hijacked three planes on September 11, 2001, murdering thousands of innocent Americans. The entire country united against defeating the Islamist terrorists responsible for those evil acts.

Yet for those who are too young to remember September 11, were not yet born, or have immigrated to the United States in recent years, these events are a distant part of world history. At the same time, these young people and immigrants have been overwhelmingly inundated with messages by educators, politicians, social media, and the culture that the United States is fundamentally evil, “imperialist,” and oppressive.

Many of these new voters are taught that Marxism (and therefore socialism and communism) and Islamist extremism are better philosophies than the Western values of Imago Dei, democracy, equality, liberty, justice, religious freedom, and free enterprise, and they in turn have voted for socialists such as New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Seattle’s mayor-elect, Katie Wilson. In addition, since Mamdani’s historic election in November, more Islamist extremists are feeling emboldened to run for public office. This has recently been termed the “Mamdani effect.”

We need to counteract these false worldviews with the truth about American history and revive appreciation for Western values and civilization. The following is a brief overview of the establishment of these values from 13th century England to 18th century America, along with recommended resources that can help teach children and new voters about American history and why Marxism and Islamism are antithetical to Western values.

Magna Carta

The Magna Carta (“great charter”) was a significant, historic document that a brave group of barons brought before England’s oppressive King John in 1215. The barons demanded that the king recognize that all people have certain unalienable rights (rights given by God, not humans), including guaranteed due process of law and a trial by jury. The king agreed to it, thereby setting a historic precedent for a free and just society.

Mayflower Compact

Four hundred years later, in 1620, the Pilgrims that escaped religious persecution in Europe and arrived in Massachusetts used principles from the Magna Carta to compose the Mayflower Compact. Although we tend to think of the Mayflower as having only religious Pilgrims on board, it actually contained a diverse group of those who were escaping financial hardship in Europe and wanting to start a new way of life in New England. Some among this group of 102 talked about looking forward to being released from English law (and therefore principles from the Magna Carta), so the Pilgrims quickly realized they needed to establish a written contract before they reached land.

The Mayflower Compact was a social contract that was not backed by an established church or government, but rather was legitimized by the signatures of common men. As Dr. Wilfred McClay explains, “The Mayflower Compact thus served as a model for all that was to come: a free people coming together under God, and, by their own initiative, establishing the institutions by which they would rule themselves.”

The Declaration of Independence

A little over 150 years later, the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It begins by referring to the “laws of nature and of nature’s God” and explains where human rights come from: “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.”

The declaration then explains from where government derives its power: “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

The signers of the Declaration took significant risk adding their names to this document which ended with these words: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Signing the Declaration of Independence was an act of high treason against the British monarchy. They knew that the king of Britain would severely torture or kill them if they were captured.

President Abraham Lincoln called the Declaration “a rebuke and a stumbling-block to tyranny and oppression.”

Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom

Written by Thomas Jefferson in 1779 and pushed by James Madison (drafters of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution respectively), the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom was passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1786, protecting the rights of citizens to exercise their faith according to their own conscience, without being coerced by any established church or government. It passed three years before the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution which guaranteed that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Jefferson thought his authorship of this statute was so important that he requested it be memorialized on his grave, along with the accomplishments of writing the Declaration of Independence and founding the University of Virginia. James Madison said it “is a true standard of religious liberty: its principle the great barrier against usurpations on the rights of conscience.”

The United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights

Having lived under the Articles of Confederation since 1777 (with most power held by the states), the delegates of the Constitutional Convention, after much debate 10 years later in 1787, created a stronger, more united self-governed national government by signing the United States Constitution whose preamble begins, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union...”

Shortly after Benjamin Franklin signed the Constitution, a woman asked him, “Well, Doctor, what have we got — a republic or a monarchy?” He replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” The Constitution is a brilliant document that unites our country around a shared set of principles —not one man or party or religion or race. Yet it must be defended and upheld by the people. As Dr. Franklin explained, “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”

James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and other Founding Fathers likewise strongly believed that America’s citizens must be morally well-informed. An uninformed and complacent citizenry will ultimately see the nation’s downfall.

In 1791, states began to approve the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments to the Constitution), which include the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to peaceably assemble, the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances, and the right to keep and bear arms, among others.

The following are resources to help educate children and new voters about American history and why Marxism and Islamism threaten the free world’s survival.

American History

• PragerU
• Liberty’s Kids video series
• The Library of Congress’ extensive online exhibit, Religion and the Founding of the American Republic
• Hillsdale College’s free online courses
• The Museum of the Bible’s “Bible in America” exhibit: “Trace the history of the Bible in America, from the first settlers to the twenty-first century, exploring the profound and sometimes complicated impact of this book on American culture. See how the Bible influenced history, politics, religious liberty, movements, and more. See our collection of early American artifacts and learn about famous figures like George Whitefield and Martin Luther King Jr.”
• Os Guinness’s “America Agonistes: America’s 250th and the Restoration of a Nation in Conflict with Itself and Its Past” and
• “Our Civilizational Moment: The Waning of the West and the War of the Worlds”
• Guinness was recently interviewed on TWS’s Outstanding podcast, talking about America’s identity crisis.

• Bill Bennett’s “The Last Best Hope”
• Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America”
• Justice Neil Gorsuch’s book, “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” and children’s book, “Heroes of 1776: The Story of The Declaration of Independence”
• Senator Tim Scott’s One Nation Always Under God: Profiles in Christian Courage

Marxism, Socialism, and Communism

• PragerU’s videos on socialism and capitalism
• Outstanding podcast, “Socialism: What Happens When the Money Runs Out?”
• Yoe Suarez’s Washington Stand pieces. (Yoe is a writer, producer, and journalist, exiled from communist Cuba due to his investigative reporting.)
• Joshua Muravchik’s “Heaven on Earth: The Rise, Fall, and Afterlife of Socialism”
• Rod Dreher’s “Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents”
• Mike Gonzalez and Katharine Gorka’s “NextGen Marxism: What It Is and How to Combat It”

Islamism

• Brigitte Gabriel’s “They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It”
• Douglas Murray’s “On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization”
• Raymond Ibrahim’s videos and books
• Allie Beth Stuckey’s podcasts about rising Islamism in the United States
• Ethics and Public Policy Center’s resources on Islamism

It is crucial that Americans regain an understanding and appreciation of our country’s history, foundation, and values. If we do, and we continue to have a spiritual revival, then there is ample reason to believe that we can preserve and strengthen our country for many years to come, and we can once again be the last, best hope on earth for people around the world.