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To mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, 60 Minutes invited leaders in the arts, sciences, sports, technology and business to end each broadcast with their “Reflections on America.”
Here’s what they said:
Suni Williams
Astronaut Suni Williams, who spent 608 days in space across three separate missions, shared what struck her about the view of America from orbit.
Looking at the Earth from the International Space Station is “just amazing,” Williams said.
“And I can’t help but think about the 250 years of American innovation that got us to that point where we actually can have this view,” she said.
The view from space prompted Williams to think about where the country will be in the next 250 years.
“I think our possibilities are only limited by our imagination,” she said.
Lonnie Bunch III
As secretary of the Smithsonian, Lonnie Bunch III is in charge of millions of American artifacts.
“The great strength of America is the desire to enlarge freedom,” says Bunch, who chose Joseph Trammell’s Freedom Papers as the artifact that represents that value.
Trammell was enslaved in northern Virginia before gaining his freedom in the 1850s, according to Bunch. Everywhere he went, Trammell carried his precious freedom papers, which showed that he was not a slave.
“He wasn’t very good with his hands, but he made a handmade tin wallet, and he put that paper in the wallet so when he’s working during the day, it wouldn’t be destroyed by perspiration,” Bunch said. “Then every night, when he would come home, he’d take the paper out, put it on the mantelpiece, and talk to his family about the importance of freedom, the fragility of freedom, the power of freedom.”
Ken Burns
Filmmaker Ken Burns, who’s helped viewers understand American history with his documentaries, shared what he thought would surprise the nation’s founders about the U.S. today.
“I think the founders would be very pleased that their revolution became a model for democracies around the world,” Burns said. “I think they would also be surprised, pleasantly so, that we are still here 250 years later. They were hugely concerned about the strains on the new country. If they were to magically arrive in this moment, I think they would be troubled about how stressed our system of checks and balances is but equally impressed that we’ve been able to overcome significant national and global challenges. They would be disappointed, I think, not because of how divided we are – we always have been – but how we are increasingly struggling to acknowledge our shared values.”
For Burns, the best way to commemorate the nation’s 250th year is voting and studying American history.
Mike Eruzione
As captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, Mike Eruzione delivered one of the greatest upsets in American sports history. He led a squad of amateurs against the mighty Soviet Union. Eruzione also scored the game-winning goal.
The game came to be known as the “Miracle on Ice.”
“I think the lesson that our team showed in 1980 by winning an Olympic gold medal, by beating the Soviets, a team that nobody in the world thought we could beat, is a great example of what makes our country so great,” Eruzione said, adding, “I think when you look back on 250 years in our country, you’ve seen moments like that, where despite the challenges, despite the fact that nobody thinks we can achieve something. You find a way to do it.”
Amanda Gorman
Poet Amanda Gorman, who wrote and read “The Hill We Climb” at former President Joe Biden’s inauguration, shared her take on what it means to be an American.
“Part of my American story is being someone who’s descended from slaves. And how that informs my own American-hood is it teaches me that freedom, equity, liberty are not just things we can take for granted. They must be fought for, protected and cherished,” she said. “And so, my rights and my role and responsibility as an American is both to love my own freedom, but to love and defend it for other people as well. It’s to remember yesterday and always walk pridefully into tomorrow.”
Bill Ford
Bill Ford, the great grandson of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford and current company executive chair, said he believes the secret to American innovation is “about more than technology.”
His great grandfather doubled salaries back in 1914, helping create a middle class in the U.S.
“I’ve always believed that companies shouldn’t exist unless they make people’s lives better,” Ford said. “We are here to build opportunity and communities. And that’s the secret to American innovation – and will be for the next 250 years.”
Jamie Lee Curtis
The Constitution aims for “a more perfect union.” But Academy Award winner Jamie Lee Curtis said, “I don’t think it’s possible to have a perfect union. I think that was the whole idea.” She added, “I think there’s an imperfect union, and I think that’s what makes America so special.”
“It isn’t binary, and it isn’t calcified. It’s supposed to be debate and question and answer, and that tumult is what brings you to a democratic solution,” she said.
Katie Ledecky
Swimmer Katie Ledecky, who represented the U.S. in multiple Olympics and holds nine gold medals, said that as a member of Team USA, she’s learned that “we are a nation of strivers that embraces competition of all sorts.”
What she’s seen “is that sport in America is at its best when its joy and fun and, yes, its challenges bring us together.”
Mike Krzyzewski
Hall of Fame basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski says that moving ahead, the U.S. must “teach, celebrate and, most importantly, live the values that have made America the best country in the world.”
“Our country has great talent, and for 250 years, we have proven that we stand unshaken by the tests of history,” he said.
Franklin Graham
“Faith in God is the value that most shaped America,” said American evangelist Franklin Graham.
“Remember the pilgrims, they came to this land to find freedom to live out their faith. And its people of faith who have been the bedrock, the driving force, behind our nation,” Graham said. “In years past, where did people turn after a disaster? Not FEMA, not to the government. It was the church that took them in, fed them, gave them shelter, clothed them. It was people of faith who established our health care in this country. Our higher education was started by people of faith — Harvard, Yale, Princeton — were founded to train ministers of the Gospel.”
Sundar Pichai
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says that when it comes to artificial intelligence, “America must take the lead and develop it boldly and responsibly so every American benefits.”
He says it is already helping researchers develop cures, teachers plan lessons and firefighters track wildfires.
“Of course, with any technology, there are challenges to work through, from investing in workforce training and putting the right regulations in place,” Pichai said. “Still, I’m optimistic — not because I believe in technology, but because I believe in people, and the sheer power of American ingenuity.”
José Andrés
Chef José Andrés was born in Spain and became a U.S. citizen in 2014. He calls America “a food nation.”
“But food is more than our traditions. It is also our future. The strength of America depends on how we feed ourselves but also how we feed the world, how we care for the people who grow, harvest, and cook our food and how we make sure no child goes hungry,” Andrés said. “It’s our responsibility as the richest nation in history to feed the hungry and care for the poor.”
Andrés’ relief organization World Central Kitchen has served 600 million meals to people in need.
William McRaven
William McRaven – the retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral who organized the mission to bring Osama bin Laden to justice – says that, to him, honor is “about upholding the values that were baked into our national DNA.”
“I have been all over the world and seen men and women from every country exhibit a sense of honor,” McRaven said. “I witnessed an Iraqi judge who refused to be intimidated by al Qaida and an Afghan father who stood up to the Taliban. I see honor everywhere I look. This idea that we must do the right thing, even when it’s hard. Honor is what makes humanity so very, very worthwhile.”
Jill Lepore
As the U.S. marks the 250th anniversary of American independence, historian Jill Lepore says now is a good time to ask if the public wants to see constitutional amendments.
“Some people might say, ‘Oh, the U.S. Constitution doesn’t need to be amended, because it’s perfect.’ But you’d have to concede that the U.S. Constitution is being amended all the time, not by the people, but by the Supreme Court,” Lepore said. “Is that what Americans want? I think the 250th anniversary of the first constitutions in the United States, those state constitutions from 1776, is an excellent time to ask that question.”
Nate Bargatze
Comedian Nate Bargatze sees comedy as a tool to hold the nation together “through jokes about the experiences we all share.”
“When done right, American comedy shines light into dark places in a digestible way. For example, ‘Blazing Saddles’ and ‘All in the Family’ confronted bigotry by ridiculing prejudice. Walls were broken down in the process. Few things have that kind of power in America.”
Sally Field
Oscar winner Sally Field recalls memorizing the First Amendment to the Constitution as a child. She said that at the time, she didn’t really understand what the amendment meant or just how important it was. Field said now, decades later, she understands the First Amendment “like never before.”
“I have learned that this fragile thing called democracy needs to be protected,” Field said. “That the brilliance of our Constitution begins with the words: ‘We the people.’ I believe in the resilience of our Constitution and I believe in the goodness and strength of the people.”
Join CBS for “The Great American Block Party 250,” a primetime special on Saturday, July 4, hosted by CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil and Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner, featuring live musical performances, celebrations around the country, and what organizers are calling the largest fireworks show in history in the skies over the nation’s capital. Tune in July 4 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and stream it on Paramount+ and CBS News 24/7.
