H: What’s up, Mr. J.? Looks like you’re deep in thought. Are you musing about America’s birthday?
J: Sure am. That was my day in the sun. People still talk about the Declaration and argue about what it means. There’s even a popular musical about it. I can’t help being proud of that.
H: I would have written the Declaration somewhat differently, to emphasize the unique nationality of Americans, but I’ll give you your due as a writer. Did the country turn out the way you planned?
J: Definitely not. In the short run, your party collapsed because my vision of an America of small landowners was more accurate than yours. In the long run, you won. The size of the military, the prominence of huge corporations . . . I didn’t see any of that. America isn’t nearly as virtuous as I would like, but it sure is powerful.
H: Aren’t you ignoring one thing you were right on?
J: What’s that?
H: Trump, of course. He stands for what he calls “real Americans.” He hates immigrants, minorities, and everyone who lives in a city. That sounds just like you.
J: We’ve been through that. Trump doesn’t in any way resemble the yeoman farmers that I imagined would be running the country. He’s a former casino owner from New York who made his living screwing people out of their money. That sounds more like you than me.
H: I was an immigrant. He would have tried to deport me. I also served with distinction in the military, unlike him, and I left America’s finances in good shape. He isn’t doing that, either.
J: What about his war? You always wanted to beef up the armed forces. You wanted an America that was as militarily powerful as England or France.
H: I believed in a rich and powerful America, but I didn’t believe in stupid wars. To give you some credit, you didn’t, either. Back in our day, neutrality was the only sane option.
J: We agree on that much. Will you be celebrating tomorrow?
H: I think we both should celebrate. I doubt either of us believed our creation would last this long and thrive this much. We’re entitled to the credit people still give us, even if the country doesn’t exactly look the way we thought it would.
J: OK then. Happy Independence Day!