What 250 Years of U.S. History Teaches about Agility.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, in the middle of a war going badly, the leaders of that rebellion decided to do something radical. These strange men in wigs and waistcoats created the first startup. It lacked venture capital, and success was not guaranteed, but we live with the consequences of that decision today. Our founding fathers were far from perfect, but they helped create a nation with a philosophy that eventually became known as pragmatism and an attitude toward business that gave rise to everything from intercontinental railroads to software. America is the story of agility, coursing through the lifeblood of the nation.

The Declaration of Independence is the mission statement of the great American startup. Thomas Jefferson drew heavily on the philosophy of John Locke and articulated the self-evident truths of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Each American deserved to pursue those activities, and aristocrats in England could not dictate who succeeds or fails. The war that followed was the American rebels doing everything they could to defeat a larger, better-funded, and more professional army. Deals were made with the French and anyone else who could help. Finally, when something did not work, it was scrapped and replaced. It was agile in every aspect.

When victory was achieved, the hard work began. As George Washington said in the musical Hamilton, "Revolution is easy, governing is hard." Ideologically, the nation was divided between those who wanted a strong central government and those who favored a loose collection of States. The Articles of Confederation were that first attempt. It was a failure, with each state minting its own money, foreign policy being a mess, and the legislature in constant gridlock because everything required a two-thirds majority to get things done. England saw weakness, and the American nation was running out of money and patience.

The Constitutional Convention of Philadelphia knew what the problems were and how the Articles of Confederation were failing. Consider it a national retrospective. The choice was to reform the Articles or scrap the entire enterprise and create a different system of government. With utmost secrecy, the founders decided to start over, creating our existing Constitution. Our initial Constitution was not a perfect document. Enslaved people counted as three-fifths of the population for the census but could not vote or participate politically. There was no mention of how to deal with the indigenous tribes that lived here, and the United States Senate formed as a compromise became a profoundly undemocratic institution as the nation grew. It also did not respect the right to bear arms, nor did it clarify if the nation had an official religion.

What our Constitution did have was a deep distrust of concentrated power, an elastic clause which made it possible for Congress to deal with unexpected circumstances, and an amendment process as times changed. It was an imperfect document created by flawed people, but it was better than the Articles of Confederation, so after plenty of debate, the new Constitution was adopted and immediately led to the addition of ten amendments addressing gun rights, religion, and state power.

Since the adoption of the Constitution, we have created seventeen additional amendments. We outlawed chattel slavery, and with the 14th Amendment, we said that anyone born in America was a citizen. We even reformed the United States Senate, making it less corrupt with the 17th Amendment, and gave women the right to vote with the 19th Amendment. The years would pass, and we added new states and amendments to the founding document. We looked at our problems critically and pivoted when we needed to. We as a nation overcame civil war, Jim Crow, the threats of fascism and communism, and the uncertainty of the Cold War. We are not perfect, but we are willing to adapt when necessary.

It is easy to be pessimistic, but I consider that a form of smug privilege. Hope and effort require us to keep making this a more perfect union. If we treat our current national challenges as a necessary product refactor, we can see our modern backlog clearly. I think that we should ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, and the fact that we haven't illustrates how powerful reactionary forces are in this nation. I also think the United States Senate needs a structural refactor because, after 250 years, it violates the principle of one person, one vote in our legislature. Finally, the 14th Amendment has been weaponized to favor large corporations and disadvantage anyone who does not fit a narrow definition of Americanness. Contrary to the pessimists, we still have elections, and those elections promise some kind of change as early as November.

America was founded on the notion that we do not have kings. We have wavered but never given up on that assumption. We are the ultimate start-up that began in war, surviving the ups and downs of history and adapting to social change rather than collapsing. If that isn't pragmatic and agile, I do not know what is.

Happy Birthday, America.