America has reached turning points before, and more than once, Philadelphia has helped show the way forward. We are making our resolutions for 2026, a year when the nation will celebrate its 250th anniversary, and many Americans are questioning whether our civic bonds can hold. But this city has a tradition of meeting division with imagination and responding to uncertainty with bold ideas. The new year gives us a chance to do it again.
Philadelphia has always been a place where bold ideas are born and shared. The ideals debated and drafted here in 1776 and 1787 didn’t live on parchment alone. They shaped a civic culture that expected citizens to learn, argue, organize, vote, serve, and imagine a future better than the present.
That legacy isn’t nostalgia. It’s a call to action.
This year, that call comes to life through 52 Weeks of Firsts, a citywide celebration designed to carry Philadelphia into the semiquincentennial and beyond. Each week, the city will highlight a different “Philly First” — from pioneering institutions like the nation’s first hospital, zoo and library, to the creative icons that give this city its distinct civic character. These aren’t just fun facts. They’re reminders that innovation, imagination, and public spirit are as much a part of Philadelphia’s civic DNA as the Eagles or cheesesteaks.
As the new year begins, we should remember the challenge Benjamin Franklin posed when asked what kind of government the delegates had created: “A republic — if you can keep it.”.
Just as significant is the partnership behind the effort. More than 20 organizations, from cultural institutions to community groups, are working together to showcase a shared story. In an era when division can feel like our national default setting, this kind of collaboration sends an important message: When Philadelphians unite around a common purpose, we create something larger than ourselves. In the new year, 5-foot-tall “#1” sculptures, designed by local artists and placed across the city, will turn Philadelphia into an open-air gallery of discovery — an invitation to celebrate our past and reimagine our future.
But commemoration on its own is not enough. The semiquincentennial must be more than a milestone; it should be a commitment of civic renewal. And that work is central to the mission of the National Constitution Center, the only institution established by Congress to educate the public about the Constitution in a strictly nonpartisan way. Through resources like our America at 250 Civic Toolkit, the We the People podcast, and our America’s Town Hall series of virtual programs, we aim to create spaces where people can learn from one another, debate ideas respectfully, and reconnect with the shared principles that bind us.
We need that now. Too often today, disagreement turns into distrust and civic participation is treated as a burden instead of a birthright. Yet Philadelphia offers a different example. This is a city where communities have always rolled up their sleeves, argued passionately, sometimes with an abundance of expletives, and then gotten back to work side by side. The nation would benefit from more of our Philadelphia spirit.
This city has a tradition of meeting division with imagination and responding to uncertainty with bold ideas.
As the new year begins, we should remember the challenge Benjamin Franklin posed when asked what kind of government the delegates had created: “A republic — if you can keep it.” Those words still resonate, and I hope you’ll hold them close as I do. Keeping it requires citizens who understand the Constitution, who see themselves as part of a shared civic project, and who believe their engagement can help move the country forward.
As America turns 250, Philadelphia has a unique opportunity — and institutions like the National Constitution Center have a clear responsibility — to help lead a renewed commitment to civic life. We invite Philadelphians, and citizens across the nation, to engage with our history, join the conversations ahead, and help shape the next chapter of the American story.
Our nation’s first chapter began in Philadelphia. In this new year, and in this anniversary moment, we can help write the next one grounded in civics, strengthened by community, and inspired by the spirit of innovation that has always made Philadelphia the city of firsts.
Vince Stango is executive vice president and chief operating officer of the National Constitution Center.
The Citizen welcomes guest commentary from community members who represent that it is their own work and their own opinion based on true facts that they know firsthand.
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