Two Hundred and Fifty Years!
Two hundred and fifty years. A quarter of a millennium since a bold declaration was signed -not merely declaring independence from a crown, but declaring allegiance to an idea: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
And now, at 250 years, America finds herself once again asking the question that has followed her since the beginning: Who are we becoming?
By David M. Corbin
Guided by her lifelong mentor, C. David, America embarks on a transformational journey, visiting companies, institutions, and communities that have kept her founding principles alive. Along the way, she confronts the hard truths of her disconnection-and rediscovers the timeless values of Freedom, Free Speech, Limited Governance, Responsibility, Justice, Courage, Innovation, Equality, Democracy, Civics, and Virtues.
Through heartfelt conversations, candid reflections, and inspiring stories, America reignites her light, renewing her promise to herself and her people.
Reawakening America: Illuminating Her Brand is a call to every citizen: to remember, to reflect, and to rekindle the spirit that made America great-not by blind nostalgia, but by courageous action.
Congressman Darrell Issa
California’s 48th District Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
wrote the foreword, and his words set the tone perfectly:
America is not a monument. It is an operating system. Monuments can be admired. Operating systems have to be maintained, updated, and defended against the corruptions that accumulate when no one is paying attention. The values explored in these pages are not decorative. They are functional. They are the code that makes the system run.
What is the book about?
A Glimpse
What America discovered at each of the eleven companies …
Apple Inc.
Freedom
Chapter 1
America found a company built on the belief that a single person, given the right tools, can change everything. What she found was permission to think differently — the freedom to create without asking anyone’s approval first.
Costco Wholesale
Equality
Chapter 2
America found a company that treats every member the same, whether they’re buying in bulk for a family of ten or a corner store. What she found was equality lived out in plain policy — one price, one card, one standard for everyone who walks through the door.
Southwest Airlines
Limited Governance
Chapter 3
America found a company that trusted its people to make good decisions without a rulebook for every situation. What she found was restraint — leadership that governs by values instead of by control.
Patagonia
Justice
Chapter 4
America found a company willing to sue its own government to protect public land. What she found was justice dressed in business clothing — moral courage that showed up in supply chains, activism, and a willingness to lose sales for the sake of doing right.
Johnson &Johnson
Responsibility
Chapter 5
America found a company still guided by a single-page Credo written decades ago, one that puts patients and communities before shareholders. What she found was a business that took responsibility seriously enough to write it down and live by it, even when it cost them.
Nike
Courage
Chapter 6
America found a company that never stopped telling people their dreams were worth chasing, regardless of who doubted them. What she found was the courage of the starting line — the nerve to act before anyone promises you’ll win.
3M
Innovation
Chapter 7
America found a company where curiosity was treated as company policy, turning failed experiments into everyday products. What she found was innovation as a habit, not an event — a culture that keeps asking “what if” long after the first answer works.
Burt’s Bees
Stewardship
Chapter 8
America found a company that started with a stray beehive and a life built close to the land. What she found was stewardship in its purest form — a business that measured success by what it left behind, not just what it took.
Zappos
Democracy
Chapter 9
America found a company where the loudest voice wasn’t always the CEO’s, and every employee had a real say in the culture they worked in. What she found was democracy at the scale of a workplace — decisions made together, not handed down.
Warby Parker
Courage/Flexibility
Chapter 10
America found a company willing to upend an entire industry’s pricing and distribution model just because it seemed unfair. What she found was flexible courage — the willingness to bend the rules of business without breaking its principles.
iCivics
Civics
Chapter 11
America found an organization teaching young people how democracy actually works, one classroom game at a time. What she found was civics reborn — not as a subject to memorize, but as a muscle to practice.
Some Amazon Reviews
Speaker Erik Swanson
33-time #1 Bestselling Author and Speaker
Clarissa Burt
Author of The Self-Esteem Regime
Laurie Morse
Creative Director at Sacred Health Academy
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