HILLSDALE, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — As the nation heads toward its 250th birthday, President Donald Trump is turning the spotlight back to 1776.
“The Story of America.”
The White House released a new entry Jan. 21 in “The Story of America,” a multi-episode historical series produced by Hillsdale College as part of preparations for the 2026 semiquincentennial.
The project is being coordinated with the White House’s Salute to America 250 Task Force and the U.S. Department of Education and features commentary from figures including Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Hillsdale President Larry Arnn, author Eric Metaxas, and Fox News host Brian Kilmeade.
“This is the Story of America,” Trump said in the video. “We’re excited to retell one of the greatest tales in the history of mankind.”
The “spirit of 1776.”
Looking ahead to the anniversary, Trump said the “spirit of 1776” explains the country’s achievements over the past two and a half centuries.
“We forged into the frontier. We tamed the Wild West. We pushed the boundaries of scientific discovery,” he said. “We enlightened the world with electricity and commerce. We defeated tyrants and vanquished dictators. And we planted the American flag on the moon.”
Trump credited those accomplishments to the nation’s founding ideals.
“We owe it all to the patriots and heroes of 1776,” he said.
“A free people.”
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In a statement released alongside the video, Arnn said the series is intended to reconnect Americans with the principles of the founding.
“A free people must remember the principles that made them free and the sacrifices required to defend them,” Arnn said, pointing to the Declaration’s emphasis on natural rights and consent of the governed.
Fourteen episodes of “The Story of America” have been released, covering events from Lexington and Concord to the signing of the Declaration. Additional episodes are expected in the months ahead.