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To people the 250th day of the Declaration of Independence, 60 Minutes invited leaders successful the arts, sciences, sports, exertion and concern to extremity each broadcast with their "Reflections connected America."
Here's what they said:
Suni Williams
Astronaut Suni Williams, who spent 608 days successful abstraction crossed 3 abstracted missions, shared what struck her astir the presumption of America from orbit.
Looking astatine the Earth from the International Space Station is "just amazing," Williams said.
"And I can't assistance but deliberation astir the 250 years of American innovation that got america to that constituent wherever we really tin person this view," she said.
The presumption from abstraction prompted Williams to deliberation astir wherever the state volition beryllium successful the adjacent 250 years.
"I deliberation our possibilities are lone constricted by our imagination," she said.
Lonnie Bunch III
As caput of the Smithsonian, Lonnie Bunch III is successful complaint of millions of American artifacts.
"The large spot of America is the tendency to enlarge freedom," says Bunch, who chose Joseph Trammell's Freedom Papers arsenic the artifact that represents that value.
Trammell was enslaved successful bluish Virginia earlier gaining his state successful the 1850s, according to Bunch. Everywhere helium went, Trammell carried his precious state papers, which showed that helium was not a slave.
"He wasn't precise bully with his hands, but helium made a handmade tin wallet, and helium enactment that insubstantial successful the wallet truthful erstwhile he's moving during the day, it wouldn't beryllium destroyed by perspiration," Bunch said. "Then each night, erstwhile helium would travel home, he'd instrumentality the insubstantial out, enactment it connected the mantelpiece, and speech to his household astir the value of freedom, the fragility of freedom, the powerfulness of freedom."
Ken Burns
Filmmaker Ken Burns, who's helped viewers recognize American past with his documentaries, shared what helium thought would astonishment the nation's founders astir the U.S. today.
"I deliberation the founders would beryllium precise pleased that their gyration became a exemplary for democracies astir the world," Burns said. "I deliberation they would besides beryllium surprised, pleasantly so, that we are inactive present 250 years later. They were hugely acrophobic astir the strains connected the caller country. If they were to magically get successful this moment, I deliberation they would beryllium troubled astir however stressed our strategy of checks and balances is but arsenic impressed that we've been capable to flooded important nationalist and planetary challenges. They would beryllium disappointed, I think, not due to the fact that of however divided we are – we ever person been – but however we are progressively struggling to admit our shared values."
For Burns, the champion mode to commemorate the nation's 250th twelvemonth is voting and studying American history.
Mike Eruzione
As skipper of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, Mike Eruzione delivered 1 of the top upsets successful American sports history. He led a squad of amateurs against the mighty Soviet Union. Eruzione besides scored the game-winning goal.
The crippled came to beryllium known arsenic the "Miracle connected Ice."
"I deliberation the acquisition that our squad showed successful 1980 by winning an Olympic golden medal, by beating the Soviets, a squad that cipher successful the satellite thought we could beat, is simply a large illustration of what makes our state truthful great," Eruzione said, adding, "I deliberation erstwhile you look backmost connected 250 years successful our country, you've seen moments similar that, wherever contempt the challenges, contempt the information that cipher thinks we tin execute something. You find a mode to bash it."
Amanda Gorman
Poet Amanda Gorman, who wrote and work "The Hill We Climb" astatine erstwhile President Joe Biden's inauguration, shared her instrumentality connected what it means to beryllium an American.
"Part of my American communicative is being idiosyncratic who's descended from slaves. And however that informs my ain American-hood is it teaches maine that freedom, equity, liberty are not conscionable things we tin instrumentality for granted. They indispensable beryllium fought for, protected and cherished," she said. "And so, my rights and my relation and work arsenic an American is some to emotion my ain freedom, but to emotion and support it for different radical arsenic well. It's to retrieve yesterday and ever locomotion pridefully into tomorrow."
Bill Ford
Bill Ford, the large grandson of Ford Motor Company laminitis Henry Ford and existent institution enforcement chair, said helium believes the concealed to American innovation is "about much than technology."
His large gramps doubled salaries backmost successful 1914, helping make a mediate people successful the U.S.
"I've ever believed that companies shouldn't beryllium unless they marque people's lives better," Ford said. "We are present to physique accidental and communities. And that's the concealed to American innovation – and volition beryllium for the adjacent 250 years."
Jamie Lee Curtis
The Constitution aims for "a much cleanable union." But Academy Award victor Jamie Lee Curtis said, "I don't deliberation it's imaginable to person a cleanable union. I deliberation that was the full idea." She added, "I deliberation there's an imperfect union, and I deliberation that's what makes America truthful special."
"It isn't binary, and it isn't calcified. It's expected to beryllium statement and question and answer, and that tumult is what brings you to a antiauthoritarian solution," she said.
Katie Ledecky
Swimmer Katie Ledecky, who represented the U.S. successful aggregate Olympics and holds 9 golden medals, said that arsenic a subordinate of Team USA, she's learned that "we are a federation of strivers that embraces contention of each sorts."
What she's seen "is that athletics successful America is astatine its champion erstwhile its joyousness and amusive and, yes, its challenges bring america together."
Mike Krzyzewski
Hall of Fame hoops manager Mike Krzyzewski says that moving ahead, the U.S. indispensable "teach, observe and, astir importantly, unrecorded the values that person made America the champion state successful the world."
"Our state has large talent, and for 250 years, we person proven that we basal unshaken by the tests of history," helium said.
Franklin Graham
"Faith successful God is the worth that astir shaped America," said American evangelist Franklin Graham.
"Remember the pilgrims, they came to this onshore to find state to unrecorded retired their faith. And its radical of religion who person been the bedrock, the driving force, down our nation," Graham said. "In years past, wherever did radical crook aft a disaster? Not FEMA, not to the government. It was the religion that took them in, fed them, gave them shelter, clothed them. It was radical of religion who established our wellness attraction successful this country. Our higher acquisition was started by radical of religion — Harvard, Yale, Princeton — were founded to bid ministers of the Gospel."
Sundar Pichai
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says that erstwhile it comes to artificial intelligence, "America indispensable instrumentality the pb and make it boldly and responsibly truthful each American benefits."
He says it is already helping researchers make cures, teachers program lessons and firefighters way wildfires.
"Of course, with immoderate technology, determination are challenges to enactment through, from investing successful workforce grooming and putting the close regulations successful place," Pichai said. "Still, I'm optimistic — not due to the fact that I judge successful technology, but due to the fact that I judge successful people, and the sheer powerfulness of American ingenuity."
José Andrés
Chef José Andrés was calved successful Spain and became a U.S. national successful 2014. He calls America "a nutrient nation."
"But nutrient is much than our traditions. It is besides our future. The spot of America depends connected however we provender ourselves but besides however we provender the world, however we attraction for the radical who grow, harvest, and navigator our nutrient and however we marque definite nary kid goes hungry," Andrés said. "It's our work arsenic the richest federation successful past to provender the bare and attraction for the poor."
Andrés' alleviation enactment World Central Kitchen has served 600 cardinal meals to radical successful need.
William McRaven
William McRaven – the retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral who organized the ngo to bring Osama bin Laden to justness – says that, to him, grant is "about upholding the values that were baked into our nationalist DNA."
"I person been each implicit the satellite and seen men and women from each state grounds a consciousness of honor," McRaven said. "I witnessed an Iraqi justice who refused to beryllium intimidated by al Qaida and an Afghan begetter who stood up to the Taliban. I spot grant everyplace I look. This thought that we indispensable bash the close thing, adjacent erstwhile it's hard. Honor is what makes humanity truthful very, precise worthwhile."
Jill Lepore
As the U.S. marks the 250th day of American independence, historiographer Jill Lepore says present is simply a bully clip to inquire if the nationalist wants to spot law amendments.
"Some radical mightiness say, 'Oh, the U.S. Constitution doesn't request to beryllium amended, due to the fact that it's perfect.' But you'd person to concede that the U.S. Constitution is being amended each the time, not by the people, but by the Supreme Court," Lepore said. "Is that what Americans want? I deliberation the 250th day of the archetypal constitutions successful the United States, those authorities constitutions from 1776, is an fantabulous clip to inquire that question."
Nate Bargatze
Comedian Nate Bargatze sees drama arsenic a instrumentality to clasp the federation unneurotic "through jokes astir the experiences we each share."
"When done right, American drama shines airy into acheronian places successful a digestible way. For example, 'Blazing Saddles' and 'All successful the Family' confronted bigotry by ridiculing prejudice. Walls were breached down successful the process. Few things person that benignant of powerfulness successful America."
Sally Field
Oscar victor Sally Field recalls memorizing the First Amendment to the Constitution arsenic a child. She said that astatine the time, she didn't truly recognize what the amendment meant oregon conscionable however important it was. Field said now, decades later, she understands the First Amendment "like ne'er before."
"I person learned that this fragile happening called ideology needs to beryllium protected," Field said. "That the brilliance of our Constitution begins with the words: 'We the people.' I judge successful the resilience of our Constitution and I judge successful the goodness and spot of the people."
Join CBS for "The Great American Block Party 250," a primetime peculiar connected Saturday, July 4, hosted by CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil and Entertainment Tonight's Nischelle Turner, featuring unrecorded philharmonic performances, celebrations astir the country, and what organizers are calling the largest fireworks amusement successful past successful the skies implicit the nation's capital. Tune successful July 4 astatine 8 p.m. ET connected CBS and watercourse it on Paramount+ and CBS News 24/7.
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Suni Williams connected the presumption of U.S. from orbit
What struck astronaut Suni Williams astir the presumption of America from orbit | 60 Minutes
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