“We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Since those eloquent words adopted 250 years ago Saturday as the bedrock foundation of America’s Declaration of Independence, the United States has remained steadfastly true to its nation-defining goals.

It’s not always been easy or without pain, anger and bloodshed, but in those 2 1/2 centuries, the United States has worked consistently to slowly but surely expand its commitment to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness to an increasingly large segment of our increasingly diverse populace.

In that spirit of commitment and honor to the intricate workings of our Constitution and representative democracy, we encourage all to join in this weekend’s supersized America250 birthday parties. At parades, ceremonies, concerts, barbecues and fireworks exhibitions, all of us have good reason to celebrate our grand history nationally and locally and flaunt our robust pride in community and country.

First and foremost, we should take time this milestone weekend to remember the freedoms that Independence Day embodies and how we as a nation achieved them.

We achieved them through hard-fought battles with British imperialists. We maintained them through adverse times of Civil War, world wars and terror wars. We continue to uphold them even amid the sometimes trying and divisive political and social climate in our country today. As many over the decades have rightly observed, democracy can be a very messy business.

Through it all, however, we’ve stood tall to nurture the freedoms bequeathed to us in the Declaration and U.S. Constitution.

Close to home, the Mahoning Valley has served and continues to serve as a compelling microcosm of the indomitable American experience.

Two hundred fifty years ago, those inhabiting our region owed their allegiance to the British crown through its governing Connecticut colony. Shortly after independence was declared, it became part of the 120-mile swath of land known as the Connecticut Western Reserve, in which Warren served as its capital.

In those early years, agrarian culture ruled the day in the land that is now Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. In 1803, the Valley became an integral part of Ohio, the 17th state in the union and the first to be carved out of the Northwest Territory.

And blessed with an abundant and productive array of vital natural resources, thousands of settlers succeeded in transforming a largely farming society into a major center of iron production, which throughout the 19th century they then vigorously transformed into a leading steel production hub. By the 1920s, the Valley had become the second largest steel-producing center in the nation and was later credited with forging the weaponry that brought the United States a glorious victory in World War II.

Our region also played other leading roles in the growth and industrialization of our nation. In Warren, for example, the Packard Motor Car Company was founded in Warren in 1899 by brothers J.W. and W.D. Packard, launching a legacy of our region as a critical cog in the automaking industry of the nation. Today, it continues that proud tradition as Voltage Valley for its growth in additive manufacturing and electric vehicle battery production.

Socially, the region served as a major hub in the abolitionist movement’s Underground Railroad. Trumbull County alone included miles and miles of escape routes for freed slaves seeking to make their way to Canada.

Our region, too, has epitomized the quintessential American melting pot. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, immigrants from diverse and faraway lands trekked to the Valley for opportunities not even remotely available to them elsewhere. To this day, descendants of those immigrants continue to joyfully and proudly celebrate their cultures with Italian, Slavic, Irish, African, Hispanic and other ethnic fests.

Of course, much of our local history — like much of our national history — has been framed in struggle, misfortune and upheaval. Nothing symbolizes that struggle more than the collapse of the region’s defining character — its steel industry some 50 years ago that devastated lives and neighborhoods and ripped asunder the defining fabric of the Valley.

But true to the American way, resilience and grit would win the day. Indeed resilience has risen as the defining quality of the Valley and the United States throughout history. Our region has succeeded in reinventing itself time and again in the face of devastating economic shifts. Today, population is growing, new industries are dotting our landscape, and a promising future is unfolding.

Along with our singularly American freedoms, it is that resilience as a community and a nation that we also celebrate with gusto this weekend. Take part in any number of Independence Day weekend events listed in today’s newspaper. Also, do not miss our 24-page America250 special section loaded with features and fun facts on our nation’s and our state’s glorious 2 ½ centuries of growth and achievements.

Above all else, immerse yourself in American pride today and every day.