The United States is preparing to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026, and Philadelphia will hold a privileged place in this commemoration as the «Cradle of Liberty,» the birthplace of the nation’s democratic history. For over two centuries, the city has been a magnet for inventors, entrepreneurs, jurists, leaders and creatives from all walks of life.
The celebration of this semiquincentennial will be an opportunity to showcase the nation’s remarkable achievements and conquests in numerous fields that have propelled it to the top of the world in education, science, medicine, economics, technology, astronomy, and social and human development. Philadelphia, as a melting pot, has been the meeting point for immigrants and dreamers of all ethnicities from across the globe.
However, the country still faces enormous challenges in areas such as discrimination, police brutality, drug addiction and the negative perception of new immigrants. July 4th has historically been a day of patriotism, but, as political scientist Rachel Blum asserts, there is a choice to be made between a patriotism based on pride of belonging to a nation and being willing to give everything for it, or a toxic patriotism that believes the country only belongs to a small group that considers itself its founder and owner, and that all others are second-class citizens with fewer rights.
Philadelphia has already begun to position itself as the natural heart of this grand celebration, not only for the sheer number of events scheduled, ranging from now until the concluding festivities in 2026, but also for the multicultural atmosphere that stems from the multiethnic profile of its population, currently composed of 44.1% black, 35.8% white, 13.6% Latino and 7.2% Asian and other.
With its historical icons such as Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the National Constitution Center, Benjamin Franklin Parkway, its impressive museum complex, the largest number of community-based murals in the country and the largest urban park system east of the Mississippi, the «City of Brotherly Love» presents itself as the ideal setting to host this momentous national anniversary.
