Chris Van Hollen

As constituents enter my Senate office in Washington, I often direct their attention to a wall filled with images depicting Marylanders and Maryland moments that helped shape our nation. Together, they tell a centuries-long story of sacrifice, courage and an enduring belief in building a more perfect union.

I often reflect on these images as a reminder of the work I’ve been elected to uphold. As our nation approaches our 250th anniversary, their meaning is all the more important.

The story begins with the Maryland 400.

In August 1776, as the early fate of the Revolutionary War hung in the balance, hundreds of Maryland soldiers charged a much larger British force on Long Island. Many never returned. But their sacrifice bought precious time for George Washington and the Continental Army to escape and helped preserve the cause of American independence.

A few years later, after leading the Continental Army to victory, Washington appeared before Congress in Maryland’s State House and voluntarily resigned. Victorious military leaders often seized power for themselves, but Washington surrendered authority to the people’s elected representatives and returned home as a private citizen.

The images continue through Maryland’s history.

The Battle of Baltimore, which inspired our national anthem. And later, the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in American history.

This wall also honors great Marylanders including Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, both born into slavery, who challenged our nation to live up to its promise of liberty and equality for all — not just an elite few.

And there’s Baltimore’s own Justice Thurgood Marshall, who expanded equal justice under law and left us this enduring charge: “This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.”

It’s words like Marshall’s, and actions like Douglass’ and Tubman’s, and the sacrifices of those Marylanders who fought to protect our democracy that hold an important lesson for us today.

At a moment when the White House is attempting to erase our history and attack our democratic institutions, upholding the legacy of these great men and women is all the more important.

Generations of Americans fought in pursuit of a more perfect union. They’ve confronted injustice, challenged entrenched power and expanded the circle of opportunity and freedom.

But now the Trump administration is working to turn back the clock on our history, and on our democracy itself.

Whether it’s removing books from the Naval Academy library, preventing participation in events honoring Douglass or attempting to sanitize difficult chapters of our history, these actions are part of a broader effort to suppress uncomfortable truths and substitute political ideology for historical fact.

In addition to their assault on history, they’re also attacking our democratic institutions.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, Americans rejected the rule of a king. Today, we’re witnessing a president who behaves as though the constraints of our Constitution should not apply to him. He’s attacking the courts, dismantling the civil service, restricting ballot access and using the levers of government to reward his allies, punish his adversaries and suppress free speech.

In Maryland, we see ICE’s lawless actions — violating due process, disregarding the Constitution and tearing families apart in our communities. Thousands of federal workers were fired, not for poor performance, but to enable unchecked executive power. And families face cuts to healthcare and food assistance, to fund tax cuts for Trump’s billionaire buddies.

Which brings me back to Annapolis in 1783.

Washington voluntarily surrendered power. In doing so, he showed the world that in America, leaders serve the people — not the other way around.

There were no kings then. There should be no kings now.

But despite these challenges, I remain hopeful from what I’ve seen across Maryland.

I’ve joined thousands of Marylanders at No Kings rallies from the Eastern Shore to Western Maryland because you understand what’s at stake. You understand that we cannot remain silent in the face of growing threats to our democracy. You understand that preserving what so many who came before us fought for requires active participation from all of us.

As we mark America’s 250th anniversary, we must remember that our history was written by citizens willing to defend — and expand — the promise of democracy for all.

The Maryland 400. Frederick Douglass. Harriet Tubman. Thurgood Marshall. Countless others. Their work is now our responsibility.

As I often say, you, me, and we the people are the cavalry. No one else is coming to save our democracy.

The question at 250 is whether we will answer that call.

I believe we will.

Chris Van Hollen is a Democratic U.S. senator for Maryland.