By Gqlshare Sabrina Schaeffer
A heat wave is gripping the nation, a private crew from Houston is headed to the International Space Station, and California is seeing a rise in measles cases. These headlines may seem unrelated, but together they remind us of how often complex public policy debates boil down to one familiar phrase: 鈥淭rust the science.鈥
That impulse鈥攖o turn to knowledge and reasoned inquiry鈥攈as been with us since the country鈥檚 founding. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin often spoke of 鈥渘atural knowledge,鈥 or the careful observation and exploration of the physical world through evidence and experimentation.
As we celebrate the Fourth of July, it鈥檚 tempting to focus on what divides us. But moments like this also invite us to return to what has always bound us together: a shared commitment to learning and discovery. It was this pursuit鈥攏ot just of self-government, but of knowledge鈥攖hat helped the founding generation secure independence and build a fragile young nation. It will take the same spirit to help us navigate today鈥檚 uncertainty and divisions and strengthen the bonds of citizenship.
Absent a national education system, many early Americans embraced 鈥渟elf-improvement鈥 and 鈥渦seful knowledge鈥 as ways to elevate the individual and strengthen the republic. Without nobility or inherited land, intellectual attainment became a defining characteristic of leadership. Our founders viewed knowledge not just as personal advancement, but as a civic virtue to equip citizens for leadership in law, agriculture, the clergy, military service, and public office.
The Revolutionary generation took pride in preparing for public life through college literary societies, philosophy clubs, and lyceums 鈥 community gatherings for lectures and debates. Thomas Jefferson, father of the Declaration of Independence and later founder of the University of Virginia, wrote about the link between self-governance and an informed citizenry, explaining in one famous letter, 鈥淔reedom [is] the first-born daughter of science.鈥
This pursuit of knowledge鈥攅specially science鈥攑ersisted into antebellum America. DeWitt Clinton, the influential New York politician and visionary behind the Erie Canal, wasn鈥檛 just a political leader鈥攈e was a naturalist and amateur scientist who conducted scientific investigations and gave public lectures aimed at broadening understanding.
For Clinton, science was a unifying force in a fragile young nation. A republic grounded in reason and observation, he argued, could resist corruption, prevent 鈥渄ebility and decay,鈥 and cultivate a stronger citizenry. For Clinton, the construction of the Erie Canal was as much about civic renewal as economic infrastructure.
This tradition persisted with figures like Edward L. Youmans. Born on a New York farm in 1821, Youmans didn鈥檛 come from a notable family or attend elite schools 鈥攈is name even derives from yeoman, a self-reliant commoner. He entered a society鈥攏ot so different from today鈥檚鈥攚here popular politics, strains of early capitalism, migrations, and social divisions challenged the values of the Revolutionary generation.
At a time when education was still out of reach for many, Youmans believed in the power of natural knowledge to uplift ordinary Americans. His life鈥檚 work culminated in founding Popular Science Monthly, a journal translating complex ideas for the public. Like the Founders, Youmans saw natural knowledge as essential not only for personal growth but for national unity.
This year, my family will celebrate the Fourth of July at my parents鈥 home, where my late father鈥檚 telescope still sits prominently in the living room鈥攁 reminder of him and his love of learning. Every year, the grandkids spend as much time trying to figure out how to see the stars as they do trying to watch the fireworks. It鈥檚 worth asking what we can reclaim from that tradition.
From our earliest days, the pursuit of knowledge in this country was never just about learning鈥攊t was a civic act. It shaped our character, forged common understanding, and built a republic resilient enough to endure conflict and change. The Founders believed natural knowledge could bind us together. It still can.
Sabrina L. Schaeffer is vice president of public affairs at the R Street Institute, a think tank in Washington, DC. She is a southern California native.