Divided America searches for something to celebrate on its 250th birthday

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights.

Two-hundred-and-fifty years ago on Saturday – on July 4th, 1776 – the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to sever all ties with Britain.

Mary Louise was her Italian parents’ first child born in the United States, and she seemed convinced the Founding Fathers themselves had risen from the dead and personally planned her birth on July 4, 1913.

This weekend, the networks will break out their commercialized fireworks spectacles to pander to the patriotic mainstream of Americans – even if the Democrats have demonstrated they're dropping out of having any pride in America or its ideals.