We who call the United States home are preparing to celebrate the country's star-spangled semiquincentennial next year ‒ not just with flags and fireworks, but also some serious conversations about history and what it means to be an American. Among the celebrations: amassive fireworks display at Mount Rushmoreon July 3, 2026, and what organizers hope is the single-largest flag-waving celebration in history. And President Donald Trump on July 3 announced he's also planning to host anUltimate Fighting Championship event at the White Houseas part of the festivities. Trump formally kicked off the yearlong celebration on July 3 with aboisterous rally in at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Trump campaigned on an "America first" platform, and he's long invoked symbols of patriotism during his rallies, from having Lee Greenwood sing his hit "God Bless the USA," to literally embracing Old Glory. "This Fourth of July our magnificent destiny is closer than ever before. We are one people, one family and one united American nation," he said to cheers. "We will fight, fight, fight, we will win, win, win, because we are Americans and our hearts bleed red, white, and blue." Trump also reaffirmed his plans to hold a "Great American State Fair" with exhibits from all 50 states that will begin in Iowa, along with other national celebrations. And while there will be parties and parades aplenty for the nation's semiquincentennial, some scholars are also urging Americans to spend time thinking deeply about the country's past and future: The anniversary comes at a time of deep partisan divisions, particularly about the role of immigrants in this nation of them. Trump directly addressed the nation's divide facing the nation in his Iowa appearance, criticizing Democrats who he says "hate" America, and offering the same sentiment in return. Trump made the comments in connection with final passage earlier in the day of his "big, beautiful bill," whichimplements tax and Medicaid cutswhile dramatically expanding immigration enforcement, and was unanimously opposed by Congressional Democrats. "I really do. I hate them. I cannot stand them because I really believe they hate our country, you want to know the truth." Trump said at what was billed as a nonpartisan semiquincentennial kickoff event. Polls show Americans are less patriotic today than ever before recorded: A new Gallup poll found that 58% of U.S. adults say they are either "extremely" or "very" proud to be an American, a record low compared to almost total unity following the 9/11 attacks 24 years ago. Strikingly, the poll found that younger Americans were far less likely to be patriotic than older generations: only 41% of Gen Z is extremely or very proud to be American, compared to nearly 75% of Baby Boomers. The poll also found that Democrats in particular are the source of the drop: Across all ages, just 36% said they are extremely or very proud, down from 62% a year ago. Independents also showed a loss, falling to a record-low 53%, the poll found. In contrast, 92% of Republicans said they were extremely or very proud of the country, Gallup found. "Patriotism is now polarized ‒ to some degree it depends on whoever is the president and that hasn't always been the case," said conservative author and former Republican National Committee staffer John J. Pitney Jr., a government professor at California's Claremont McKenna College. "People in the other party are not just mistaken but are enemies." But Pitney said real American patriotism is alive and well: Everyone who volunteers to serve in the military or a local fire department, who helps out at a food bank or tithes to their local church is helping make good on the promise of America, he said. "Parades are great, all the celebrations are terrific, but that's not really what patriotism is about," Pitney said. "It's certainly possible to take criticism of the country too far. The trouble with Trump's plans is they sound awfully superficial. His patriotism doesn't run any deeper than the cloth of the flag." While celebrations of the country's 250th anniversary by necessity invoke the past, Trump has signaled he wants a historical focus that boosts his vision of patriotism, loyalty and liberty. In conjunction with the anniversary, Trump has ordered the creation of a $34 million National Garden of American Heroes, featuring life-size statues of notable figures from American history, including the second president, John Adams, Red Cross founder Clara Barton, airplane inventors Orville and Wilbur Wright, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and astronaut Christa McAuliffe, along with former President Ronald Reagan and former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Only American citizens are eligible to create the statues. "America owes its present greatness to its past sacrifices. Because the past is always at risk of being forgotten, monuments will always be needed to honor those who came before," Trump said in announcing the statue garden. "These statues are silent teachers in solid form of stone and metal. They preserve the memory of our American story and stir in us a spirit of responsibility for the chapters yet unwritten." In announcing the garden, Trump also ordered the Justice Department to vigorously prosecute anyone caught damaging or defacing memorials and statues. And he has ordered the National Park Service and national museums to focus on history that unites and inspires Americans, rather than on what he considers issues that would "divide Americans based on race." "The Golden Age of America is upon us," Trump said in Iowa on July 3. "This incredible national resurgence is happening just in time for one of the biggest events in the history of our country. Exactly one year from tomorrow, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's founding with this birthday party, the likes of which you have never seen before." Eric Foner, a retired Columbia University history professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, said countries have long struggled to balance an honest assessment of their history with the push for patriotism. He said the reality is every country has both good and bad on its ledger, and talking about all aspects help build a stronger nation. Some historians have noted that while Trump is willing to acknowledge the end of slavery in the United States, he's been reluctant ‒ if not outright hostile ‒ to talking about the structural racism that remains as a legacy of that enslavement. "It's a self-defeating set of events when you try to just create a patriotic history and glorification," Foner said. "What we remember is also related to what we forget." Trump's 250th celebration plans will operate in conjunction with theU.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which has been working on the celebrations since 2016. The nonpartisan commission known as America250 is honorarily co-chaired by former First Couples: President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, and President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, and is the country's official birthday party planner, with the backing of all three co-equal branches of government. America250, which has corporate sponsors including Walmart, Palantir, Amazon and Goldman Sachs, is planning the biggest single-year volunteer effort in the country's history, along with sponsoring field trips and oral history recordings. The commission is also organizing a playlist of musical anthems celebrating America, a tech expo to highlight innovation, and a series of concerts celebrating American composers, performers, musicians and dancers. Its new executive director is a former FOX News producer and deputy director of communications for First LadyMelania Trump. "America250 is working to provide the most inspiring celebration that is 'of the people, by the people, and for the people' of this great nation," thecommission promises. "America250's mission is to commemorate the 250th anniversary with inclusive programs that inspire Americans to renew and strengthen our daring experiment in democracy." Tamika Middleton traces her American heritage though the family's graveyard on a dirt road in South Carolina. One ancestor fought for the Union during the Civil War, and her mom still lives on the land that's been in their family since the 1800s. As the descendent of formerly enslaved people, Middleton wants to see the United States live up to the promises it has always made. For her, that means talking honestly and openly about the country's racist past, and about how exclusionary policies have hurt people who look like her. "I have a right to this country. No matter what people think about my critiques or the work that I do, my folks' blood is in the soil." Middleton, 41, said. "I have a right to this country and I have a right to its best self." The managing director of the Women's March, Middleton said organizers have been talking regularly about the importance of an "honest look" at the country's history at the time of its 250th, and what it would take to reach that perfect union where all people are truly equal. Organizers of the 2017 Women's March against Trump organized "Free America" counter-protests during this year's Independence Day celebrations. "What good is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without healthcare?" Middleton asked. "What good is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without housing?" Middleton said the Women's March is still deciding how it will approach the country's 250th anniversary, but encouraged Americans to consider the words of Civil Rights-era activist Fannie Lou Hamer: "Nobody's free until everybody's free." Said Middleton: "I would be love for people to be thinking about how to bring that to fruition ‒ what does it require every day, the kind of depth, the kind of accountability, the kind of unity. What does it require of us to ensure we are building a different kind of world and a different kind of country?" This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:America is ready to celebrate its 250th birthday. But are Americans?