It’s the Fourth of July! Why Am I Sad?

Tags: Philosophy and Methodology, Political Theory, U.S. History

07/04/2026 Shawn Ritenour

The US “celebrates” its 250th birthday today, but not everyone is celebrating. We bring back a classic from 10 years ago that is even more relevant today.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/its-fourth-july-why-am-i-sad

The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.

Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.

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It’s the Fourth of July! Why Am I Sad?