BRET BAIER: Why Americans still believe our best days are ahead, even in divided times

When my caller book, "The Case for America," was launched this month, the archetypal happening I wanted to bash was perceive from my listeners and readers astir however they would marque the case. So, I published an invitation connected my website asking radical to grounds abbreviated videos, and I’ve been playing immoderate of them connected aerial during "Special Report." 

I’ve been blessed with the divers contributions from crossed the country. The optimism and pridefulness are similar a tonic successful a clip often characterized by disagreement. Here are the voices of our chap Americans making the case. I anticipation you are arsenic inspired by them arsenic I person been.

In the book, I constitute astir the migrant occurrence communicative that continues to basal arsenic impervious of our peculiar nature. Charlie C. is an illustration of the migrant occurrence story. "I judge the U.S. is unsocial due to the fact that it's a spot wherever immigrants tin emergence from the little mediate people to the apical 3% successful conscionable 1 generation," Charlie said, describing his ain experience. "My household moved present erstwhile I was 10, and we started successful suburban Philadelphia with precise humble means. McDonald's was a luxury. My English was precise limited, but done hard work, I went connected to be an Ivy League schoolhouse and gain a PhD. Now I'm 1 of the apical engineers astatine a Fortune 500 company, surrounded by 18,000 colleagues. I'm grateful for a woman of 24 years and 3 fantastic kids. I judge my achievements would not beryllium imaginable anyplace else, arsenic this state is the lone 1 founded connected a content successful life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all."

Well said.

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Gus F. besides weighed successful connected the migrant experience, saying that arsenic a arrogant Latino and Native American, his lawsuit for America is personal. "This state is not perfect. No federation is," helium acknowledged. "But America is inactive a spot wherever history, struggle, sacrifice, faith, household and state travel unneurotic to make a aboriginal bigger than the past. Both my radical cognize hardship. We besides cognize resilience. We cognize what it means to beryllium overlooked, underestimated and inactive rise. That's wherefore I judge successful America, not due to the fact that she has ne'er fallen short, but due to the fact that she gives america the right, the dependable and the accidental to marque her better."

The taxable of accidental is simply a mainstay of the people’s cases for America. "For 250 years, the men and women who person served this state person helped physique it from the crushed up successful each manufacture and successful each generation," Lisa D., a retired veteran, said. "This is not coincidence. That is American character. America has ever had a concealed weapon. They are the visionaries, the entrepreneurs, the innovators, the risk-takers, the ones who ne'er stopped dreaming."

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Manufacturing accidental was a taxable that resonated. Brian H. weighed successful arsenic the arrogant proprietor and president of WIC Industries successful Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "We marque the ADA switches that you propulsion erstwhile you locomotion into immoderate of the astir beauteous buildings successful the world, including the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument," helium said. Brian mentioned that his institution had made the largest superior concern successful its past arsenic a effect of the 2025 taxation measure (the One Big Beautiful Bill). "We person ever been a shaper successful the U.S. We volition proceed to marque things here," helium promised. The spot of our manufacturing assemblage has ever been a defining diagnostic of America.

Bret Baier latest book, 'A Case for America' was released connected May 5. (unknown)

But arsenic Anthony L. pointed out, it’s not conscionable our affluent worldly resources that marque america strong. It’s our character. "America's aboriginal depends connected definite nonmaterial societal resources — trust, grant and love," helium said. "Trust is simply a bound information and requires boundaries. Honor differentiates america from 1 different and is the ground of idiosyncratic dignity. Love draws and holds america together. We volition ever prosper arsenic a federation if we cherish these societal goods successful our instrumentality and our politics." Some of our large Founders, including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, often spoke and wrote astir those precise themes.

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Michael R. besides talked astir the motivation underpinnings of a large society. "I deliberation William Penn erstwhile wrote, ‘Those radical who volition not beryllium governed by God volition beryllium ruled by tyrants,’" helium said. "And I deliberation helium was speaking astir radical who can't govern themselves morally. I besides deliberation helium was speaking astir beardown societies, that they person not ever been rooted successful institutions, but successful radical who person goodness, communal consciousness and humility, and attraction for others. We don't person to hold afloat to determination forward, but we bash request a shared committedness to good, to work to 1 another. The challenges we look contiguous are not the extremity of our 250-year history, but they are an accidental to rebuild from the wrong out. The question astir apt is not what's happening astir us, but who we take to beryllium arsenic individuals."

A peculiar commemorative 250th day American emblem flies successful Lakeland, Fla., connected March 12, 2026. (Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Many radical pointed proudly to work arsenic a meaningful portion of their American acquisition and what makes America strong. Shannon told me, "I was calved and raised successful a household that is truthful grateful, afloat of work members who person served this state and helped marque state accessible for everyone. People travel from each implicit the satellite due to the fact that they cognize what we person is simply a large happening going. Here, arsenic a woman, arsenic a idiosyncratic of faith, I couldn't beryllium much grateful to beryllium an American citizen. We person truthful overmuch opportunity, truthful overmuch freedom, and I ne'er instrumentality it for granted." Shannon offered her congratulations to each of america who get to telephone America home.

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A fig of radical expressed anticipation successful the adjacent procreation and talked astir however that accidental is being passed connected to them. Thomas said, "My lawsuit for America is simply that I grew up successful a tiny country of Kentucky successful a trailer park. My girl is present moving connected her 2nd master's degree. This 1 is astatine Georgetown, the archetypal 1 astatine George Washington University. She lives successful D.C. She was a large successful the Army. Her hubby works successful the Pentagon. They've got a young grandson increasing up successful D.C. There's a batch of large radical retired there, successful finance, technology, business, doing large things for America, and a batch of large patriots retired there. So support the acquisition coming and support the fight."

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Christine besides made the lawsuit for the youth. "I'm precise hopeful for our United States of America," she said. "My hubby and I, joined for 40 years, person 2 kids who both, arsenic adults, ended up a batch much wide than we are, but knowing them makes my bosom blessed due to the fact that they are some kind, caring, competent, hardworking individuals, and I know, near successful their hands and the hands of their friends, our federation is going to beryllium conscionable fine." As the begetter of 2 sons, the oldest graduating precocious schoolhouse this year, I stock Thomas and Christine’s optimism astir the emerging procreation who volition marque the astir of our opportunities.

The U.S. Capitol dome is seen successful Washington, D.C., connected December 17, 2020.  (Reuters)

Jerry, a subordinate of that younger generation, weighed successful with inspiring words. "I'm making my lawsuit for America due to the fact that I'm arrogant to telephone it home. While we each person antithetic lifestyles and opinions from seashore to coast, what makes america large is however we unite nether our values during pugnacious times. I'm thankful for a state wherever your inheritance doesn't specify your potential, and wherever state of code and religion are guaranteed. From the Great Depression to liberation efforts successful satellite wars, America has been resilient and generous. We wouldn't person this amazing, escaped state without the sacrifice of our veterans. That is my lawsuit for the top country."

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Finally, I couldn’t defy Jon L.’s entreaty to this golfer’s heart. He made the lawsuit for America successful presumption immoderate golfer would appreciate: "America's champion days are ahead. We're conscionable teeing up for the backmost nine. This nation's ever had a endowment for the agelong game, and close present we're positioned for a birdie run. Sure, we've had immoderate lies successful the unsmooth wherever we needed a coagulated betterment shot, but the fairway up looks open. We've got the skill, the grit and the people cognition to marque a title round. The greens are wrong reach. We conscionable request to enactment focused and spot our swing. America ain't done playing yet."

Thanks, Jon, and convey you to everyone who has participated. If you haven’t made your idiosyncratic lawsuit for America yet, I promote you to spell connected the website and stock your thoughts. I’ll proceed to stock them arsenic we observe America’s 250th anniversary.

Editor's note: Bret Baier's caller book, "The Case for America: An Argument connected Behalf of Our Nation," was published connected May 5, 2026, successful solemnisation of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

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