America is about to turn 250. But for many Americans, this seems like a strange time for a birthday party.
Last year, Gallup found that just 58% of Americans say they are “extremely” or “very” proud to be American, near a historic low. Among Americans aged 18-34, only 18% say they are “extremely proud” to be American. Numbers like this are not exactly grounds for celebration. America’s future depends, in large part, on whether its people still feel invested in it.
So how can we reclaim our patriotism? What will it take to feel like we’re all on the same team again?
A big part of the answer is to create more opportunities for shared service. Right now, Americans simply do not spend enough time working alongside one another. Membership in civic organizations has declined for decades. Fewer Americans join volunteer groups than previous generations.
This matters, of course, because people are more likely to see each other as part of the same community when they serve together. The military is a case in point. A Marine from rural Alabama and a first-generation immigrant from Los Angeles may have little in common. But when they train together and rely on one another in difficult conditions, they develop trust that cuts across the divides that define civilian life. Shared service creates shared identity.
And that sense of shared identity often lasts long after military service ends. Pew Research found that 61% of post-9/11 veterans consider themselves more patriotic than most Americans. Veterans also volunteer 35% more hours each year than non-veterans, according to the 2025 Veterans Civic Health Index.
But shared service alone is not enough. Americans also need bigger goals that remind us we are part of something larger than ourselves. There’s a large body of research that shows conflict between groups decline when people work together toward a common objective. In one famous experiment, researchers turned hostile groups of boys at a summer camp into cooperative teammates simply by giving them shared challenges they could only solve together.
America has seen this same dynamic throughout its history. President Kennedy challenged Americans to go to the moon. The Greatest Generation mobilized to win World War II. After September 11, millions of Americans looked for ways to serve something larger than themselves. Shared national goals have a way of reminding Americans that they are part of the same story.
Those twin pillars of shared service and common goals are essential for restoring American patriotism. And as America turns 250, we have an opportunity to take these principles and apply them more broadly.
That’s the idea behind America Gives, an initiative of America250 that is calling on all Americans to make 2026 the largest year of service ever recorded in history. Already, the effort has logged over 8 million hours of volunteer service from individuals and organizations across the country. The broader goal is to inspire a culture of service throughout the year and beyond 2026.
One major opportunity arrives later this month. On May 16, as part of Good Neighbor Day, Americans across the country will have a chance to serve alongside one another in their own communities. Similar efforts will continue throughout the year, including activations around Martin Luther King Jr. Day and September 11, the nation’s two federally recognized days of service.
There will be another big opportunity for Americans to contribute through Giving 4th, a complementary America250 initiative that aims to make July 4, 2026 the largest single day of charitable giving in American history. If America Gives is about shared service, Giving 4th extends that same spirit of common purpose into charitable giving.
I’ve always believed that you can love your country and still want it to be more perfect—just as the founding fathers envisioned.
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, we have an opportunity to reclaim our patriotism and inspire a spirit of service for the next 250 years. That would be something truly worth celebrating.