A celebration of America, 250 years of inspiration. That should be the theme of Fourth of July celebrations nationwide this year.

Senator John McCain, in a 2008 New York Times editorial, said, ““Our values are our strength and greatest treasure. We are distinguished from other countries because we are not made from a land or tribe or particular race or creed, but from an ideal that liberty is the inalienable right of mankind and in accord with nature and nature’s Creator…”

In a speech given at the opening of Obama Presidential Center, President Obama eloquently expanded on this philosophy. “But out of the fire and steel of a revolution, a different story took flight on this continent, a declaration that we are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that in the newly independent United States, there will be no kings or lords, no serfs or subjects, but only citizens, each of us free to pursue our own version of happiness, and able to determine our collective faith through an elected representative government.It had not been done. And because it hadn’t been done before, the success of this experiment was never a given. In forming our union, the founders fell terribly short of the Declaration’s promise, leaving slavery intact, allowing states to restrict the franchise to white men who owned property, but in drafting a Constitution and a Bill of Rights, they did have the foresight, the genius to provide us with a framework that allows each generation to make our union more perfect.”

A Celebration of America

The American story is complicated. It is often a paradox. Lofty goals and ideals centering on freedom intertwined with oppression and slavery. A welding of diverse cultures into a national identity. It is a story of villians and heroes, greed and sacrifice, prejudice and virtue. But when blended it is a story of inspiration and vision.

As with a great memory making road trip, the magic is in the people and their stories. With our national story, the inspiration is found when the stories of the people are told with honesty. Success and failure, vision, blinding pride, mistakes, and tragedy.

Inspiration comes when we learn how President Abraham Lincoln, President Obama, Ralph Teetor, Henry Ford, Senator Henry Clay, Abigail Adams, General Eisenhower, and Joe Medicine Crow dealt with simply being human. And it comes from learning about how we as a nation overcame the tragedy of slavery, broken treaties, and policies derived from prejudicial beliefs that are in stark contrast to the ideals enshrined in our founding documents.

250 Years of Inspiration

The story of Eugene Jacques Bullard is one of prejudice, tenacity, survival, overcoming obstacles, and perseverance. It is a tale of inspiration. He was born October 9, 1895, in Columbus, Georgia, to William Bullard, a former slave, and Josephine Bullard.

Historians consider hime to be the first African-American military pilot to fly in combat. And he was the only African-American pilot in World War I. But prejudicial policies prevented him from flying for the United States. He fought with the French. But there is much more to Bullard’s amazing story.

Likewise with Charles Nash. His is another tale of inspiration.

A story of success

For automotive historians Charles Nash is known as one of the most successful automobile pioneers. He started as a cushion suffer at the Durant Dort Carriage Company. Within a few months he was a manger.

Fast forward to 1910. Nash was the production manager at Buick. He climbed the ladder and was appointed as vice president of Buick. From that position he moved to General Motors, and served as president.

He resigned from GM in 1916 and acquired the Kenosha, Wisconsin-based Thomas B. Jeffery Company. That was the foundation for the Nash Company, a leading automobile manufacturer during he first half of the century. All of this success becomes an inspirational story when we expand the scope.

Charles Nash was born into poverty. He was abandoned by his family at age six. Through arrangement by the court, he became an indentured servant. One provision was that he be provided with three months of schooling every year. By age 12, abuse led him to flee.

He became a farmhand. He learned carpentry. And he became a cushion stuffer at Durant Dort Carriage Company. That is where his ambition came to the attention of William C. Durant, founder of General Motors.

Discover The American Story

Eugene Bullard, Charles Nash, Effie Hotchkiss, Joe Medicine Crow. Jimmy Carter, a president that built homes with his own hands in his retirement. This a nation that has inspired the world. It is a nation with countless stories of inspirational people.

The best way to discover the real America, and our history of inspiration, is with a road trip. And the best road trip is Route 66.

Take time to talk with people met along the way. Discover that the American story of inspiration is still being written. . Add a festival such as the annual Czech Festival in Yukon, Oklahoma and experience our rich colorful diversity. Then take take in a museum or explore an historic site.

A Few Suggestions 

This is Jim Hinckley’s America. Sharing America’s story and telling people where to go. That is what we do. So, I have a few suggestion if you want to discover America’s amazing inspirational story on your next road trip.

• Obama Presidential Center in Chicago
• Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia
• National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee
• Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton, Oklahoma
• National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City
• Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia
• Fort Reno, El Reno, Oklahoma
• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, Illinois
• Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Seneca, New York
• Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, Georgia
• Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum, Abilene, Kansas