On this Independence Day, Let Us Renew Our Commitment to Liberty, Dignity, and the rule of law this 4th of July — principles that anchor both American democracy and global peace. Wishing the Boston Global Forum continued success in advancing these ideals around the world.
Hon. Mark R. Kennedy
Founding Director, Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition (WISC)
Member of the BGF Board of Thinkers
From its earliest days, America’s promise—“all men are created equal” and endowed with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”—has echoed far beyond its borders. Thomas Jefferson could hardly have foreseen how his words would inspire, over centuries, desperate migrations: Irish families fleeing famine, Europeans leaving crowded ghettos, Asian laborers crossing oceans, Mexicans seeking opportunity on the other side of the border. Each wave was drawn by the same promise, unsettling old societies, transforming both the newcomers and the nation they entered.
The United States stands out among nations, not as a country defined by shared ancestry or ancient borders, but as one built around this revolutionary idea. The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor symbolizes this welcome—a beacon to generations who made the journey in search of freedom. Yet, America’s embrace of newcomers has always been complicated.
Today, as new migrants and asylum seekers arrive, they face not just the hope of opportunity but also new policies of detention and deportation. Children and families are held in facilities at the border; hundreds of thousands are sent back each year. The nation still debates: Are Jefferson’s words a universal call, or a guarded privilege?
This is not a new argument. From the beginning, Americans have disagreed about the meaning and limits of their ideals. Jefferson envisioned the Declaration as a signal to the world—a call for all to “burst their chains.” But even as he wrote, others like John Adams worried more about American security and identity, leading to measures like the Alien and Sedition Acts that restricted the rights of newcomers and has been resurrected by the Trump Administration.
Today’s struggles over immigration echo these foundational debates. Policies that detain or deport migrants reflect anxieties as old as the nation, and cast new light on the question: Who gets to claim the promise of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”?
As we celebrate the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are reminded that the American idea remains a work in progress. The call for freedom is still heard, even as the gates are guarded. The true test of the nation’s ideals lies in whether we extend them to those seeking a new beginning—or turn them away at the door.
Thomas Patterson, Harvard Professor
Co-founder of Boston Global Forum
Today we face great challenges and social turbulence. we must look beyond today’s issues of the moment to shape the world we want for future generations. this task will require that we continually experiment and test a wide range of technologies and social institutions in order to find ways of living that best promote human flourishing.
Alex Pentland, MIT and Stanford Professor
BGF Board Member
