This week, U.S. citizens from coast to coast celebrated the 241st anniversary of our nation’s birth. As with other national holidays, we heed the call to put aside our differences and focus on the grand themes of the season. Every 4th of July is a time for unity, patriotic traditions, and thoughtful reflection.

The funny thing about historic retrospection, however, is that we have a tendency to simplify the times before us and the people that lived in them, especially when it comes to our revolutionary history. We regularly depict the Revolutionary War as an isolated saga of plucky individualists rebelling against a great tyranny; minimizing the complexities. And we regularly overlook the political disagreements of the Founding Fathers.

There is a great benefit to shedding light into these corners of our national history. In bearing out these realities, we give strength to the notion that the American spirit is as much about struggle as it is solidarity.

The political discourse that surrounded the founding of our country continues to this day, with none of its passion or prevalence lost to time. Though we designate just one day each year to celebrate our country’s inception and independence, our grand tradition lies in the ongoing exchange of ideas meant to better ourselves and our way of life.

At Grassroots Midwest, we advocate for the success of clients with a variety of views and objectives. We believe in real people accomplishing real change, from helping an organization navigate government to advocating for a nonprofit’s mission to ensuring candidates succeed on election day. Whether you’re looking to change policies, serve your community, or make a place in history, we’re here to help.

About the author: Steve Heikkinen serves as the Communications and Marketing Strategist for Grassroots Midwest, Michigan’s only bipartisan political advocacy firm.