The American Plan: Strategy, Sacrifice, and Leadership Across 250 Years
- Mister Mike
- Jul 11
- 3 min read
July 2026
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Sir Isaac Newton 1643-1727
July 2026 is the 250th birthday of our country, or at the very least the anniversary of the acceptance of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th of 1776. The actual signing took several weeks, but it was passed in “Congress Assembled” on July 4th. The actual revolution had already started in the spring of 1775 in Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts. By the time we reached 1776 and the Declaration of Independence, our country needed leadership and a plan. Surely the signers, each in their own way, were leaders, but some were just followers, anxious to be a part of what was going on in the moment. But each one of the signers agreed that “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." A total of 56 men eventually signed the Declaration of Independence; the last, Thomas McKean, representing Delaware, did not sign until August 2, 1776.
At this point, the congress and the newly formed colonies needed a plan to address the implementation of the Declaration. Here is where the world of 1776 holds true in today’s world. Their plan required that they each leaned on and depended on each other. They accepted the risks involved in what they were doing and were willing to share that risk. A strategy evolved. The focus was to keep their army in the field, not attempting to defeat the English in decisive unwinnable confrontations. Washington was the man entrusted to do just this!
Although very slow compared to today’s world, communication was of course key to bonding the colonies together by informing as many people as possible about the plan. They printed many copies of the Declaration of Independence and distributed them around the colonies for public reading and display. They were off, slowly but surely, toward achieving their dream.
There was certainly no room for passivity in the challenges then or for our challenges today. We still need to: have a strategy, communicate the strategy, and follow through by keeping people committed and active in the effort.
One of my favorite leaders is not from the Revolutionary War period, but one who served in the middle of the last century: Harry Truman. In January 1953, Harry left office and returned to Independence, Missouri to live in the home his mother-in-law left to his wife Bess. Harry never owned a home. At the time, humble Harry Truman was seen as one of the lowest ranked presidents in history, right in the bottom five! Today, he is usually ranked in the top five or six! What changed? Not Harry! However, history’s perception of him years later may have changed because of some things like whether the U.S. would have won WW 11 without the atomic bomb, the rebuilding of Europe with the Martial Plan, and the racial integration of the military to name a few.
Here’s an interesting fact from a man that did little as president, historically, but he was famous! In 1782, Martin VanBuran was born, and he ended up becoming president of the United States in 1837. In doing so, he became the first president to have been born an American. Every president before that time had been born a British subject (although the Constitution required that they each be born in the colonies). Think about that for a minute. Remarkable history. Now while poor Martin was not a very notable president, coming in somewhere around 29-30, he was indeed the first American-born president!
“I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general government necessary for us…Thus, I consent, sir, to this constitution, because I expect no better, and because I am not sure that it is not the best.”
Benjamin Franklin September 17, 1787
Michael M. Carney mr.mikecarney@gmail.com
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