WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) delivered the following remarks on the Senate Floor, commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, celebrating the courage of our Founding Fathers, the sacrifices of generations of Americans, and the enduring spirit of the American people.
Read remarks as prepared below:
“Mr. President, next week the country will be celebrating an incredible milestone: the 250thbirthday of the United States of America, the greatest country founded in the history of the world. And I just wanted to come to the floor today to talk about what I love most about America.
250 years ago, a group of brave men and women risked life and limb in pursuit of the American experiment.
In 13 small colonies, farmers, merchants, tradesmen, and families of different religions and classes declared what was then a radical idea that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.
Together, this small group of people took on a mighty Empire and won. And in doing so, they changed the course of history.
I’ve always related to the American founding on a personal level. I grew up among farmers, tradesmen, and factory workers. My dad was a factory worker, and my mom was a nursing home cook. I came from a working-class family and grew up in a working-class town in Indiana called Columbia City, a town that had about 5,000 people living there when I was born.
Even though Columbia City is a humble town, I love it intensely. I have so many great memories from my childhood in Columbia City. And I feel great pride in my hometown.
But Columbia City’s humble nature didn’t stop people from doing great things. Columbia City shaped Thomas Marshall, who became the Vice President of the United States in 1913. And it shaped me into becoming a United States Senator. That’s the beauty of small-town America. Small towns like my hometown are where the American Dream is realized. And it was in 13 small colonies 250 years ago that the Dream of America came to life.
That’s why this July 4th, I’ll be celebrating Independence Day back in my hometown with my family. Growing up, I remember spending every Fourth of July with my family watching the fireworks in Columbia City, and that’s what I’ll be doing this year as well.
I know that some incredible festivities are happening here in DC, but I think it’s so important for people to spend time celebrating with the local communities that shaped them. And I encourage everyone here and those listening to attend, if you can, the America 250 celebrations happening in your hometown.
Mr. President, my upbringing instilled within me a profound love of this country. Sadly, not enough people share that same love. Three years ago, the Wall Street Journal had a poll that showed that only 38% of Americans believed that patriotism was very important to them. That is down from 70% in 1998.
For three years, I’ve wanted an update to that poll, because it really bothered me. Last year, Gallup released new data about American pride. Unfortunately, the numbers have hardly changed; only about 41% of American adults say they are extremely proud to be an American. Among America’s young people, the picture is particularly damning. Only 41% of Gen Z said that they are extremely or very proud to be an American. These are record low numbers. But this is what happens when too many people, especially young people, feel detached from our nation’s story.
But here’s the thing. This decline is not irreversible. We can absolutely fix this trend.
One way that we can fix this trend is to make our nation beautiful again.
A few months ago, I came to the Senate floor to talk about my bill, the Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act. I spoke then about how important it is to have and build beautiful buildings that reflect the beauty of our country. We owe it to ourselves and our children to build beautiful buildings that reflect who we really are as a nation.
And that’s why I fully support and applaud President Trump’s efforts to make the federal buildings in communities across America even more beautiful than they were before. When a nation sees beautiful and great buildings, it sees beauty and greatness in the nation. And there’s another way that we can reverse the downward trend of American patriotism, and that’s by returning to our roots and our small communities. Our small communities are what made this country great, and are what continue to make this country great. The original 13 colonies succeeded in founding this nation because ordinary people in ordinary places believed in something bigger than themselves.
We can make America beautiful again, inside and out, by rediscovering the power of those small places and the ordinary Americans who call them home.
When we strengthen our communities, teach our full and honest history with pride, and recommit to the founding principles that turned 13 fragile colonies into a global beacon of liberty and freedom, we will see national pride rise once again.
Mr. President, let me end by saying this: mighty empires that once ruled the world have vanished to the dustbin of history.
But America, this great country, still stands, and she stands taller and mightier than the rest. So as we gear up for the 250th Birthday of our nation, let us recommit ourselves to the incredible American story that is still unfolding before our eyes. And let us never forget that from small and humble beginnings, rose the greatest country on earth, the United States of America.
Happy America 250. And with that, I yield the floor.”
