Star-spangled blowup? Divided United States commemorates 250th anniversary

According to France 24, the United States marks a remarkable milestone this week: two hundred fifty years since independence. It's a quarter-millennium under the same Constitution—a span of time that, from the European perspective, is striking for its sheer stability. Since seventeen eighty-nine, the United States has maintained continuous constitutional governance. Over that same period, France has cycled through five republics, three monarchies, and three dictatorships, including Nazi occupation. So what does American independence mean when the nation celebrating it is deeply divided? That's the question France 24 examines as the country gathers for the Fourth of July—a moment to measure not just how far it's come, but how far it may yet need to go.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton