overthinking with nick.

by Nick DiCicco

Over the past few decades, the 4th of July has evolved into something quite different than what our founders might have envisioned. Each 4th of July, Americans spend $4 billion on alcohol, $2.8 billion on fireworks, and probably take around the same number of bathing suit pictures — all in the name of “freedom” and “patriotism.”

These celebrations are not bad, but rather are a great way to show the privileges which are allowed in a free country. In 2025, however, the word “freedom” evokes something different in all of us — but not in a “family means something different to us all” type of way. Instead, in a way that has divided us and, in some instances, goes against the defining aspects of the freedom our founders fought for.

In the modern political climate, the right has been the side loudly voicing its love for the country and the United States military. Republicans, both young and old, strive for the America they thought they once knew. Freedom and love for the country seem to be defining characteristics of the party itself.

On the other side, the left has been painted as a party that despises the country. They point out every flaw, past, present, and future without offering realistic solutions. Their anger and disapproval are displayed in riots, flag-burning, and overcorrecting the way we speak and joke.

This is how we view the two parties in the United States and their positions on freedom and patriotism: the right loves the country, and the left does not.

As I scrolled through X and TikTok this Fourth of July, I noticed a common trend. Both sides posted videos in celebration of the 4th — with two very different outlooks. Republican voters posted pictures of beer and beaches with captions like, “I know the Democrats are going to try to cancel the 4th, but…” Meanwhile, Democrat voters posted pictures of fireworks with captions like, “This, but in a liberal way.” Both parties, in their own way, feel as though they need to defend or preface their posts as if they don’t both live in the same country with the same freedoms.

This strange dynamic between both sides, each other, and the holiday made me wonder: even if both sides are celebrating freedom, are they really celebrating the same thing?

And if not, what is the right thing to be celebrating?

To start this thought process, I decided to try to remove any biases I might have — particularly trying to separate myself from the current view of “freedom” and “patriotism” in the United States. This mental reset took me back to the time when those words were first used in reference to our country. A time when we weren’t much of a country, but rather a group of people trying to figure out what it meant to be free and how to ensure that our freedoms would not disappear.

After a few trials and errors, this idea was solidified in the Constitution, a document that not only directly lays out the freedoms we inherently have, such as the right to speech, protest, bear arms, and more, but also how to safeguard these freedoms through a system of checks and balances, separation of powers, and a process for amending the Constitution.

After looking at the inception of “freedom” in the context of the United States, it became clear to me that we are not free because of the rights listed in the Constitution, rather we are free because of the systems that protect them.

With this clearer view of what it means to be free in the United States, I think it’s time to realistically examine the modern view of freedom and patriotism.

After breaking down what true freedom in the United States is, it seems nearly impossible to be a modern Republican (in this case, supporting President Trump) and still claim to love the country and its freedoms.

To start, let’s look at the President’s actions after his re-election. First, his attempt to remove birthright citizenship via executive order. To me, this is not only a clear disregard for the 14th Amendment, but also a rejection of how our governing system works. If you want to amend the Constitution, there is a process. The President cannot and should not be able to unilaterally amend the Constitution.

Another example is the President’s mass deportations without due process. Due process is a cornerstone of freedom in America as it guarantees everyone the right to defend themselves.

While these two actions are direct attacks on freedoms in America, President Trump has also quietly used lawsuits and executive orders to target freedoms, specifically by going after law firms that defended people or cases he disagrees with. His administration issued executive orders targeting specific law firms, essentially punishing them for their work in politically inconvenient cases.

The President has also abused his power by stripping funding from major universities if they don’t follow his orders or if they allow students to protest in ways he disagrees with.

These actions are just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty more examples of the President putting aside the Constitution and people’s freedoms , including deploying the National Guard to California, his deal with NYC Mayor Eric Adams, and by claiming “national emergencies” in order to impose tariffs without Congressional approval.

All of these efforts, however, pale in comparison to Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, where he tried to install a slate of fake electors to halt or confuse the certification of the vote. This effort was only stopped by Vice President Mike Pence’s dedication to the Constitution and the country.

Now, I know I didn’t go in-depth into most of the actions mentioned, but that’s actually the point I’m trying to make. Without real research, many of these decisions may not seem un-American (although many of them are). Wanting to amend the Constitution isn’t un-American. Deportations aren’t un-American. Even questioning the results of an election isn’t inherently un-American.

The problem is how President Trump has conducted these actions, in ways that neglect or bypass the constitutional processes meant to occur.

A major problem facing our country, and the one that has led to this strange reality where you can claim to love freedom while ignoring the document that secures it, is that a majority of Americans base their opinions on headlines, viral posts on X, or the echo chambers of cable news or YouTube. That’s why our country is the way it is today.

So how do we fix it?

Stay educated, and hold true to your values.

The only way we can rebuild a clearer view of both political parties is not by listening to how one side represents the other, but by looking at what is actually happening. Do research. Read unbiased news. Learn how our country works.

Stay true to your values, even if the party you once followed no longer reflects them. Many MAGA supporters seem to struggle with this. One minute they care about government spending with DOGE, the next they support a bill that increases the budget. One minute they want the Epstein files released, the next they don’t even want to talk about it anymore. Now, the left can fall into this trap too, but these are recent examples that need to be acknowledged.

Don’t fall into the trap of partisanship. Stay true to your values. Educate yourself. And don’t let the media blind your view on your side or the other side.

Freedom and patriotism are not partisan. They are not exclusive to the left or the right. Freedom is guaranteed to everyone in America. No one should be ashamed to show love for the United States, and no one should settle for a leader who does not value the Constitution and our freedoms.

Stay educated. Support freedom. Love the United States.