The United States gained its independence from England in 1776 at the end of the Revolutionary War and declared July 4 as its birthday. With the signing of the Declaration of Independence came a new type of government, unheard of at the time, one based not on royals inheriting leadership at birth but on widescale democracy.

At the time it was considered unusual.  Democracy as a government foundation has its roots in the ancient Greek city of Athens. But an entire country grounded solely in democracy was one often scoffed at by other countries.

“It was an experiment government that most countries thought that was never going to work,” said Chris Paulin, who teaches history at CT State Manchester. “Even people who came over to see how the country worked were impressed that America’s democracy worked.”

Of course, the experimental democracy only applied to a select few; non-landowning men, women, enslaved Africans and Native Americans were excluded.

But does the meaning of America 250, and America as a whole, resonate with Manchester students? Not entirely.

“Americans have adopted this ‘If it doesn’t affect me then it is not my problem’ mindset,” said Isabelle Echevarria.  “Which is why we are at the highest homelessness and job crisis spike in history.”

But it isn’t all bad, said student Mary Grunke. “Amendments, freedom of speech, America’s achievements like the space program,” she said.

Student Gavin Demsky pointed out that freedom is a relative concept.

“We’re pretty free I would say,” he said. “We have it better than most countries.”

However you may feel about it, there are events planned across the state to mark the milestone.

For more information about 250^th Anniversary related events in the state visit https://ct250.org/.