Minnesotans on the American Experiment, 250 years on
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Minnesotans across the state asked about 250 years of “the American Experiment” told MPR News they felt a mixture of pride, unease, disappointment, hope and fear about the nation.
Many pointed to political violence, inflation, gas prices and the war in Iran, the integrity of elections and even the rise of artificial intelligence. Others said they were grateful to be able to openly practice their faith and the U.S. was still a land of opportunity.
In that conflicted atmosphere, Minnesotans celebrated and observed the semiquincentennial Saturday at events big and small, traditionally patriotic and otherwise.
Fourth of July events
In Delano about 30 minutes west of Minneapolis, the traditional idea of patriotism was on full display as the town readied for its daylong celebration in the morning.
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Locals geared up for the parade – also recognizing the 150th anniversary of the town’s founding – clad in red, white and blue. American flags blanketed the route along River and Elm streets.
At the same time in Minneapolis, around 400 people gathered at Chute Park to honor people who died as result of federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
Dressed in all black, the crowd formed a funeral procession to the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis with dozens of wooden coffins and cardboard candles bearing the names of lives lost. A local group led resistance songs as they marched.
“As President Trump puts on spectacles in the White House, it's really important to articulate a version of America that actually cares about its neighbors, no matter where they're from, no matter who they are,” said Aru Shiney-Ajay, executive director of Sunrise Movement, the youth-led climate justice organization behind the event. “When I think of July Fourth, I'm like 250 years is an awful long time to have a country that has a lot of flaws in it. I think it's about time that we remake it in the image of what it could be.”
Ngone Niang, an organizer and state Senate candidate from St. Anthony whose family immigrated from Senegal, said she’s proud to be an American and wanted to show patriotism to people who want a better life in the U.S.
“So many different people and groups are the founders of what we have here as a nation, and we need to make sure that we commemorate and bring reparations to those people, and not just continue to stomp out immigration,” Niang said.
Varied views on the future of America
As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, many Minnesotans compared it to another milestone: the 1976 Bicentennial.
“Even though there still was dissension in this country, I think there was a sense that we, together, could make things work,” said Kathleen O’Halloran Blake, 77. “I’m not so sure that’s true today.”
Blake attended the “Unfinished Freedom: 250 Years On” community concert in Grand Rapids on June 28 hosted by the progressive organization Indivisible. As did Tom Legg, 72, of Palisade, Minn.
“I've never been a flag-waving patriot, but I certainly was not down and out about it,” Legg said. “I'm scared for the future. And, for the Bicentennial, no, I was not afraid.”
For Frank Bibeau, 68, who also attended the Grand Rapids concert, conflicted feelings about the country are nothing new.
“It's always a dichotomy of yin and yang,” said Bibeau, a tribal attorney based on the Leech Lake Reservation. “In Indian Country, you think about all the things we lost and all the things that were saved for us by our old tribal leaders.”
Bibeau said it’s an ongoing struggle. He’s wary of the politics of the country as he looks to the future, so he’s focusing on working on issues locally.
Many others looked ahead to the future of the country with optimism. At the “Patriot Picnic” in Lino Lakes, an event hosted June 25 by the Minnesota Senate District 36 Republican organization, Becky Smith was thankful.
“I definitely feel like we are a free country,” said Smith, who lives in White Bear Lake. “That is so wonderful, and for me specifically, just to be able to celebrate my faith, and to not be ashamed of that.”
Stephen Laliberte, who ran for White Bear Lake mayor in 2025, was also at the picnic. He is happy with the direction of the U.S.
“America just lifts so many people out of poverty if they're willing to work,” Laliberte said. “What's the American dream? You can become anything you want to be.”
At a semiquincentennial celebration July 2 at the Moorhead Public Library, Nicole Anderson, 35, with her toddler in tow, said she tries to focus on her community.
“I try to now kind of find our local good stories,” Anderson said. “With a toddler, it can be a little bit easier to focus on the little things and a little bit harder to focus on bigger picture things. State-of-the-country wise, we're more focused on the state of Minnesota and Moorhead.”
Anderson said her own family emigrated from Norway many generations ago.
Reflecting on the 250th anniversary, she said she’s not happy with the U.S., but still loved the country.
“I still think of it as a land of opportunity, basically, and I love seeing how immigrants, from those first sort of waves 200 years ago to now, can join and make the community something special for themselves,” she said.
Back on June 17, people gathered at the Anoka Riverfront Memorial park to begin celebrating the 250th with Mayor Erik Skoguist during a rendition of the National Anthem led by the Sons of the American Revolution. People dressed in historical clothing, fired muskets, made arts and crafts and visited booths hosted by the Anoka Masons, the American Legion and more.
Barbara Thurston, 72, the chaplain of the Anoka chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, taught kids about the Declaration of Independence. She even had a copy they could sign.
As for the current state of the nation, Thurston was a little worried, but still trusted the American experiment. “We still have our freedom, we can exercise that by voting and contacting congressmen and legislative people,” Thurston said. “It all works out in the end anyway."
Kerry Johnson, a drummer for the Sons of the American Revolution, said he loves America, but is unhappy with its present state.
“I don't think we're really living up to what the founding fathers and mothers had envisioned for us,” Johnson said.
Johnson recognized that many Minnesotans may not be in the mood to celebrate, while pointing to the country’s overall resilience.
“Our country has been through so many challenges in the past. We've had a civil war, we've had our capital burned, we've almost come to extinction many times,” Johnson said. “Dire or not, we need to celebrate, and we need to affirm our nation, and still have hope.”
