I've noted before in this space that I'm not one to dote much on holidays. Plenty of writers and commentators feel compelled to do so and provide us with a fully adequate range of thoughts on the holiday at hand. I often feel I don't have much to add to that party, so I don't.

But the holiday we're about to celebrate on July 4 is special to me personally. I was also alive for the 1976 Bicentennial. At 15, I was becoming fully aware of politics, the realities of war, the costs and benefits of social and economic policies. It was also the time of Watergate, and I remember coming to the notion that as a U.S. citizen, I could feel both intense national pride and real shame in the same instance. That also was probably the first bite of the journalism bug, an affliction I ultimately could not shake, much to the chagrin of my parents, who envisioned having a lawyer in the family.

So, celebrating the semiquincentennial anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence brings back a great mix of memories of the past 50 years.

Something you probably wouldn't guess about me is I'm a bit of a softy when it comes to things like Old Glory, the national anthem, and what we as Americans have accomplished.

As a former Boy Scout, I take my flag and the U.S. Flag Code seriously. I get cranky when I see our stars and stripes turned into T-shirts and bikinis and the like. It pains me to hear the flag slapping about in the darkness, without the illumination of a light as is mandated by the Code.

I'm likewise not ashamed to say I get a little misty-eyed at a particular moving rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner". Two memorable occasions of late include Chris Stapleton's electric guitar-augmented version at Super Bowl LVII several years ago. If you caught that, you'll recall it brought tears to a bunch of tough-guy footballers. (https://youtu.be/…)

The second is Lady Gaga's poignant take on Francis Scott Key's prose for the presidential inauguration ceremony following the trauma of Jan. 6, 2021. (https://youtu.be/…)

Lady G's impromptu mid-song pivot to show that, indeed, "our flag was still there," above a Capitol Building still bearing the scars of Jan. 6 trips my waterworks switch every dang time, even all these years later.

So, I see this 250th as something to take pride in, to celebrate. We've been through a lot in those 250 years and the past 50. And as I write this, we can still say that the flag does yet wave "o'r the land of the free."

But it's downright Panglossian to give thought to this historical day, at this time in history, and not recognize that all is not sanguine in the home of the brave.

An April poll by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago showed some dramatic downturns in overall "patriotism" versus similar poll results in 2017.

NORC previously stood for National Opinion Research Center. For details on their telephone-based polling, see here: https://apnorc.org/….

In short, the numbers are concerning. Only 28% of those polled have pride in how our democracy is working, compared to 42% in 2017. Pride in our armed forces is 59%, down 19 points from 78% in 2017, while pride in our influence in the world dropped 10 points to 24%. The 2026 poll found 44% of Americans still feel the U.S. is one of the greatest countries in the world, but a full 30% say there are better countries.

Similarly, a recent Gallup poll found that only 53% of U.S. adults are "extremely" or "very" proud to be an American, Lee Greenwood's ever-present lyrics notwithstanding. It's the lowest reading to date in a trend that has been slipping since 2001.

So, what do we do with a mixed-thought day like July 4, 2026? I suggest we remember it by learning more about it and about how we got here.

I've long contended that one of the key reasons we've become so bifurcated in this country is that most of us were taught U.S. history and civics by some football coach or social studies teacher who knew next to nothing about the subject beyond what was in the textbook. Then most of us only remember a smattering of what we were taught.

That's not an insult to anyone. We have a lot of things to remember these days: people's names, tractor model numbers, important family birthdays, the passwords and PINs for our accounts and devices. The proper mixing order of that secret waterhemp-torching herbicide cocktail. Important stuff, all.

Unless you use mathematics regularly, who remembers much from Algebra II? Who can recall the opening scene of the second act of Othello? (Hint: it's at a Cyprus seaport, and if you think I actually remembered that without help from Dr. Google, I have a seaport in Nebraska I'd love to sell you.)

So, we're to be forgiven, I contend, for perhaps not being clear on just how we got to where we are, or who is to be credited and blamed for the same. It's a shortcoming that can be aided, however, by picking up a few books and reading.

What many of us do remember is the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin, who, when asked by passerby Elizabeth Willing Powel whether the Founders had agreed to a monarchy or a republic, replied "A Republic, if you can keep it."

With apologies to ol' Ben, I'd update that to, "A Republic, if we can remember it."

There are scores of historical books written about our early history, with many new titles written in anticipation of this 250th anniversary. So, any list of suggested readings to help with that learning and remembering is almost endless.

What I'll offer here is a group of books I find particularly intriguing. A couple I've read, or read excerpts. Several I can't wait to track down and find the time to read.

Take this as just a starting point. Look up these titles, and if they don't trip your trigger, I'm sure there will be a host of alternatives in the search-page suggestions.

To start, there's an interesting study of two of the major contributors to both the Declaration and the Constitution. "John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and the Founding of America," edited by Lee Ward and Michael P. Zuckert, is a collection of essays on two friends who played such a key role in our founding, then famously died within hours of each other on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.

(https://www.amazon.com/…)

With all the focus on elections at the moment, I'm especially intrigued by a newly released book by historian Jay K. Dow, "The First Elections: The Rise of Electoral Democracy in the Early American Republic." Reviews say it's one of the first deep dives on how the election process in early America shaped the country, our political party system, and the regional nature of voting that continues through today.

(https://kansaspress.ku.edu/…)

A thoughtful look at our history, through the mind of our 16th president, is found in "A Nation So Conceived: Abraham Lincoln and the Paradox of Democratic Sovereignty." The aforementioned author Michael Zuckert studies the many speeches and papers Lincoln produced during his short political life and examines his take on political ideology, on what it meant that "all men were created equal," and his acknowledgement that our system of government could do both great good and great harm.

(https://www.amazon.com/…)

Another fresh look at our founding is in historian Tad Stoermer's recently released "A Resistance History of the United States." (https://www.amazon.com/…)

Now, perhaps reading history through the filter of modern eyes and mores isn't your thing. There's much to be said for going straight to the horse's mouth.

There are plenty of compilations of the original Federalist Papers. Most of us were required to read a few of them in history class, but owning the complete picture is fairly easy. Here's one source: https://www.thriftbooks.com/…

You can also access the Federalist Papers online from the Library of Congress at https://guides.loc.gov/….

And to get even more originalist, go with a copy of the treatise that got the whole revolutionary ball rolling, Thomas Paine's "Common Sense." An example of that is here: https://www.amazon.com/…

Want to really challenge your biases and discernment skills? Grab a copy of each of "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn, and "A Patriot's History of the United States" by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen.

Zinn's book, first written in the 1980s to focus on the working class and oppressed peoples, from indigenous tribes and African slaves to factory workers and Vietnam War grunts, has long been trumpeted by the left and criticized by the right for focusing on the plight of the working class while giving short shrift to the accomplishments of the captains of industry.

Its antithesis, by Schweikart and Allen, was written specifically to counter Zinn's take. It, no surprise, has been praised by some for highlighting the accomplishments of America's heroes while criticized for paying lip service to the workers' backs on which those many accomplishments were carried.

The pair sounds like a great adventure for a community or family book club discussion. If anyone actually does this, invite me please! I'll bring the popcorn.

Of course, most of these can likely be found through a local library if filling bookshelves isn't your jam.

In sum, I am a firm believer that the world is better off for what has to date been called The American Experiment. But I believe just as firmly that we're far from perfect, and can only imagine what this nation could have and still can accomplish when more of us have a thorough and balanced knowledge of this Republic, if we learn and remember enough to keep it.

By the way, I'm not the only one on this staff who felt compelled to write about the 250th:

-- Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart has a heartfelt piece that can be found here: https://www.dtnpf.com/…

-- Progressive Farmer Editor-In-Chief Katie Dehlinger gives us thoughts on freedoms and farming while highlighting several key farm production pieces in the June issue of the magazine. Her article, "Freedom: America's Most Important Farm Input" (and links to the PF stories, which also have been running this week on DTN) can be found here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

-- In last week's View From the Cab, Crops Technology Editor Pamela Smith shares what the July 4 holiday means to the farmers she's been following this season. That story is here: https://www.dtnpf.com/…

-- For a boots-on-the-ground look at the semiquincentennial celebrations on the National Mall in Washington, see Ag Policy Editor Jake Zajkowski's coverage here: https://www.dtnpf.com/…

I'm proud of the fact that they took the time to put those thoughts into keystrokes, while also continuing to serve you a steady stream of news, features and markets analysis. Maybe they deserve to take the 4th off. (Yeah, I know, it's a Saturday.)

And, if you want to see if the weather forecast will favor your outdoor celebrations this long weekend, check out https://www.dtnpf.com/… with details from Ag Meteorologist John Baranick. To stay up to date with weather conditions and your local forecast for free from DTN, head over to https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Here's to a safe, celebratory, and educational July 4th.

Greg Horstmeier can be reached at greg.horstmeier@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @greghorstmeier

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