A New American Revolution
I delivered these remarks at the commencements on January 8 and 9:
Remarks for Commencement January 2026
President Patricia McGuire
Commencement is always a time of great joy and expansive hope for what our new graduates will achieve in the months and years ahead. The coincidence of our January commencement ceremony with the start of a new year adds to that sense of so many possibilities for growth and change for the better.
At the dawn of this new year, 2026, we are also on the cusp of a great national celebration — the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a moment in history that we also hail as the birthday of the United States of America. Many celebratory events will take place this year. Red, white and blue will be in high fashion, along with stars and stripes, and for the true die-hards of history, there will be tri-corner hats, parades with men in red and blue coats sporting muskets and bayonets, women in colonial garb and more fife and drum music than we knew existed.
But amid the parades and fireworks, let us also pause to examine the true meaning of the triumph of, and ongoing struggle for, American independence.
The immediate cause of the birth of America on July 4, 1776 was the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and that is a logical place to return to often for any thoughtful reflection on this historic moment. The Declaration of Independence was the culmination of years of arguments, struggles and increasingly dangerous armed battles as the colonial people here sought to free themselves from the long and tyrannical arm of the British monarchy. Historians recount many motivations for the colonial revolutionaries from the desire of the landed aristocracy to free themselves from burdensome taxes to the passion of people across social classes to win greater freedoms and respect for human rights.
The document that emerged in mid-1776 — inspired by political theorists Hume, Locke and Rousseau, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and others in the Continental Congress — opened with what historian Walter Isaacson has called “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written” —
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
And the authors went on:
“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…”
Jefferson and his colleagues declared that “throwing off” the government was reasonable in response to “a long train of abuses and usurpations” (see Locke, Second Treatise) becoming “absolute Despotism.” The Declaration of Independence goes on to enumerate with great specificity the “abuses and usurpations” of King George III, a remarkable list of 27 indictments including tyrannical acts such as dissolving the legislature, disempowering judges, and misusing the military.
Now, you might be listening to this and thinking to yourself, for goodness sakes, what does the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution have to do with me? You might be thinking: my ancestors weren’t even in this country back then, or if they were, maybe they were here against their wills, enslaved and oppressed by the very colonial aristocrats demanding freedom for themselves. You might be thinking about how the “all men” who Jefferson said were “created equal” left out a whole lot of people — women, Black persons, people who did not own property, immigrants who did not arrive with an Anglo-Saxon pedigree.
You might be asking yourselves what’s the point of getting excited about the 250th birthday of a nation that seems to be very confused and conflicted this very day about the real meaning of independence, freedom and equality, and guarantees of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for all.
We might be reflecting on all those who have been denied “life” and “liberty” and “happiness” at the hands of government agents — people like Renee Good, a mother of three shot dead in her car in Minneapolis by ICE agents, the latest symbol of a government gone terribly wrong. The “abuses and usurpations” of the current political regime grow more tyrannical and even murderous each day. A government dedicated to the values of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” does not repress, attack and kill its own citizens who protest against its abuses of power.
You might be wondering if, at the rate things are going these days, will the American democracy be here to celebrate its 251st birthday?
My friends, sisters and brothers in Trinity, this anniversary year is no time to stay on the sidelines! Your presence here tonight, claiming these degrees as your very own success stories, heralds your own places as daughters and sons, children and heirs of the ongoing American Revolution. You have already made the American story new and fresh for your families and the generations you are leading. Your education here at Trinity takes you to a new level of empowerment and influence in your communities, places of work and the civic arena.
You are part of a new American revolution! Don’t throw away your shot, as the song goes in Hamilton — use your shot to claim the revolution of 1776 as your own inspiration and motivation in 2026 and beyond.
The rights and freedoms that the Founders proclaimed must be renewed and reinvigorated in each generation. Use your freedom of speech vigorously, supported by the intellectual range and strength of your Trinity education.
Insist on restoration of the fundamental American principle that ours is a government of laws, not men — that no one president or public official can exercise unrestrained power, that the Constitutional balance of powers is essential to sustain our freedom. Be vocal advocates for peace as essential for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Insist that war is never a solution, that the whole point of a strong defense system is not to wage war but to ensure the peace; that a good and great nation does not threaten or invade others but uses its power to help all peoples and nations to thrive throughout the global community.
Never stop working for justice. Remember what the great warrior for justice John Lewis said: “A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few…peace cannot exist where justice is not served.”
Congratulations, 2026! Let’s continue the real American Revolution!
