My Favorite 250 American Things

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Commentary

A new book out from the County Highway newspaper covers their writers’ 250 American things, as released on the 250th birthday of the country, the semiquincentennial (a word that has failed to catch on). Great idea!

Looking through the description inspires me to create my own.

The Ideals

1. The Declaration of Independence 2. Thomas Jefferson 3. George Washington’s Farewell Address 4. Free speech 5. The Bill of Rights 6. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense 7. Limits on government 8. Individual rights 9. Pursuit of happiness 10. Self-reliance 11. Federalism 12. The Liberty Bell 13. We the People 14. Consent of the governed 15. The right to bear arms 16. Freedom of assembly 17. Freedom of religion 18. Freedom of commerce 19. Rule of law 20. Private property 21. Civic republicanism 22. Eternal Vigilance 23. The Great Barrington Declaration

Patriotism

24. Sousa marches 25. “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” 26. “The Star-Spangled Banner” 27. “America the Beautiful” 28. “God Bless America” 29. Revolutionary War fife and drum 30. Fourth of July fireworks 31. Aaron Copland’s Rodeo 32. Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring 33. The national anthem at sporting events 34. George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” 35. Scott Joplin’s ragtime 36. Big band 37. Bluegrass 38. Folk songs of the pioneers 39. Marching band traditions 40. American flags 41. The Gadsden flag

Food and Drink

42. Chicken-fried steak 43. Apple pie 44. Barbecue ribs (regional styles) 45. New England clam chowder 46. Southern biscuits and gravy 47. Texas chili (no beans) 48. California burritos (fusion spirit) 49. Hot dogs at ballparks 50. Hamburgers (always reliable) 51. Corn on the cob 52. Thanksgiving turkey 53. Pumpkin pie 54. Fried chicken 55. Meatloaf 56. Pot roast 57. Pancakes with maple syrup 58. Coffee (percolator style) 59. Iced tea 60. Root beer float 61. Ice cream (homemade) 62. Popcorn 63. Bourbon 64. Craft beer 65. Farmers market produce 66. Home-canned goods 67. Roadside diner pie 68. State fair food 69. Tailgate grilling 70. Convenience store gourmets 71. Apple butter 72. Applejack 73. Boiled peanuts

Inventions and Tools

74. The needle threader 75. Denim jeans 76. Quilts 77. Wool blankets with silk trim 78. Covered bridges 79. The percolator 80. The sewing machine 81. The cotton gin 82. The steam engine (American adaptations) 83. The electric light bulb 84. The telephone 85. The assembly line 86. The Model-T Ford 87. The airplane (Wright Brothers) 88. Barbed wire 89. The typewriter 90. The zipper 91. Duct tape 92. The Swiss Army knife (American multi-tools) 93. The Coleman lantern 94. The cast-iron skillet 95. Ballpoint pens 96. The pocket knife 97. The toolbox 98. Barn raising tools 99. The windmill 100. Log cabin construction 101. The Conestoga wagon 102. The railroad spike 103. The telegraph 104. Transcontinental railroad 105. Hoover Dam engineering 106. The Golden Gate Bridge 107. Skyscrapers (early) 108. The Cuisinart 109. GPS 110. Bitcoin

Arts and Culture

111. Art Deco 112. Early Hollywood 113. Norman Rockwell illustrations 114. Currier and Ives prints 115. Hudson River School paintings 116. Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” 117. The Jazz Age 118. Bathtub gin 119. Backyard stills 120. Broadway musicals 121. Vaudeville 122. Pre-code movies 123. The Marx Brothers 124. Film noir 125. Grand Canyon vistas 126. Yosemite 127. Niagara Falls 128. The Smoky Mountains 129. Cape Cod cottages 130. Gilded Age mansions 131. Newport 132. Wrought iron fences 133. Front porches 134. Town squares 135. County fairs 136. Main Street, USA 137. Fred Astaire 138. Rodeos 139. Baseball 140. Football, the American kind 141. Pecan pie 142. Quilting bees 143. The Lindy Hop 144. Square dancing 145. The Charleston 146. East Coast Swing 147. The Jitterbug 148. Blue ribbon winners 149. 4-H clubs 150. Busby Berkeley 151. Public libraries (Carnegie) 152. One-room schoolhouses 153. The Pony Express

History and Enterprise

154. Pioneering spirit 155. The Oregon Trail 156. The Lewis and Clark expedition 157. The Homestead Act 158. Ellis Island 159. Wagon trains 160. The Gold Rush 161. Cattle drives 162. Mount Rushmore 163. The Statue of Liberty 164. Independence Hall 165. Monticello 166. Mount Vernon 167. The Gettysburg Address 168. The Lincoln Memorial 169. The Robert Taft Memorial 170. The Boston Tea Party 171. Minutemen 172. Frugality 173. Thankfulness (harvest festivals) 174. Work ethic 175. Civic piety 176. Agronomy (farming innovation) 177. Localism (town meetings) 178. Enterprise (small business) 179. Physicality (frontier fitness) 180. Forbearance (endurance) 181. Time stewardship 182. Awareness of place 183. Independence Day parades 184. Memorial Day 185. Small-town hardware stores 186. General stores 187. Feed and seed shops 188. Family farms 189. Roadside attractions 190. The Brownstone Institute

Daily Life

191. Vinyl records (revival) 192. Gold and silver hoarding 193. Soda fountains 194. Nickelodeons 195. Penny candy 196. Comic books (Golden Age) 197. Tuxedos 198. Horatio Alger stories 199. The self-made man 200. Volunteer fire departments 201. Community potlucks 202. Church suppers 203. Hymn singing 204. Gospel music 205. Camp meetings 206. Summer camp 207. Boat shoes 208. Hunting traditions (responsible) 209. Gardening 210. Home canning 211. Coin silverware 212. Attic treasures 213. Thrift stores 214. Garage sales 215. Flea markets 216. Antique shops 217. Bookstores 218. Bootleggers 219. Radio (Golden Age) 220. Podcasts (modern frontier) 221. Homeschooling freedom 222. Charter schools 223. Private enterprise in education 224. Anti-vaxxers 225. Medical freedom 226. Food freedom 227. The right to try 228. Second Amendment culture 229. Open carry spirit 230. Neighborhood block parties 231. Porch swings 232. The Baptist hymnal 233. Backyard barbecues 234. Fire pits 235. Marshmallow roasts 236. The Marfa Lights 237. Road trips 238. Route 66 239. Truck stops 240. Passenger trains 241. Diners 242. Motels (vintage) 243. Campgrounds 244. The washboard 245. Zoos 246. Brass bands 247. Reusing 248. Makers, wood and pottery 249. The Epoch Times 250. The American Dream