A few years ago I had the opportunity to be in a boat in the New York harbor. As the boat passed the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, I thought back on the many people whose first glimpse of the United States was Lady Liberty. They came from all parts of Europe, but they shared a common bond -- the desire to start a new life in a new country. The United States was only a vision for them until they came into New York harbor. It was a land of economic opportunity. It was a land with a future.

The United States offered  a more promising future to these immigrants in many other ways. It was a place where they could enjoy freedoms that were only distant concepts in their homelands. They could attend the church of their choice. They could stand on street corners and complain about the government. They could march in protests against the policies they disagreed with.

Even today, those basic rights we enjoy as American citizens are foreign to many people around the world. They cannot criticize their president. They cannot publish those criticisms in the media. They cannot assemble and organize to support their own views about government.

The United States is far from perfect. Our history is replete with examples of our nation not living up to our own ideals. And we face major challenges today that will require the best of our abilities at problem solving.

Nevertheless, we have a lot to celebrate at this time of year. We, all of us, are participating in a great experiment. It is the experiment of a people governing themselves through a democratic government. We're over 200 years into this experiment, but through apathy, fear, and isolation, that experiment can fail.

Will this experiment work? Will the United States stand as a beacon of hope for future generations? That all depends on us.

As we celebrate the 4th of July, we should remember that the future of America is our future. And that future is in our hands. What will we do with the country our fathers and mothers gave us and that we will pass on to our children and grandchildren? Will the experiment continue and prove that self-government works? Will we show that when the people rule, all benefit and not just those who already are well advantaged in society? Will we blunt the criticism of the doomsayers on talk radio or newspaper columns who see only darkness ahead? Will we demonstrate to future generations and others around the world that our best days are still before us because we face the future with confidence?

Wave the flag, shoot off fireworks, watch parades. But don't become cynical about the future of our nation like so many talk show hosts urge you to do. The American people have faced insurmountable odds before. And we have prevailed. Be it oil spills, the dangers of terrorism, the plight of poverty, or the need to give every child a high quality education, our tomorrows are even brighter than our todays. Those who took a risk in crossing a large ocean to set foot in a strange land certainly felt that way. They wanted their children, grandchildren, and many generations thereafter to live in the United States. They did this because they saw a brighter future for themselves in the United States than they did in their own lands.

We need to have the faith of our forefathers and foremothers who sowed today so future generations could reap tomorrow. We need to solve our current problems with unity and determination, not cynicism and partisan bickering. We need to make our country the same land of opportunity that long ago drove those refugees from distant lands to our shores. Offering opportunity for all will require our best efforts to do so.  But that best effort is within us -- because we are Americans.