Dhaka, July 8 -- One of my formative childhood memories was the celebration of America's bicentennial on July 4, 1976. My home state of Massachusetts witnessed many of the crucial events leading up to America's Declaration of Independence, and these were memorialized in a "Freedom Train" which made its way throughout the state during that bicentennial year.

Over the past fifty years, I've developed a keen interest in the history of the American Revolutionary War and have also studied other global revolutions and independence struggles - to include those in France, Russia, and Ireland. As we now begin the countdown to America's 250th birthday celebration in 2026, my thoughts are again with the Patriots and Founding Fathers who pledged the...