What fuels the freedom to dream bigger?
For nearly 250 years, Americans have had the ability to think, build, and create without asking for permission first.
That freedom has driven some of the greatest innovations in human history.
In 1790, President George Washington signed the first U.S. patent. It gave everyday Americans something powerful: the right to own and benefit from their ideas. That one step helped launch a culture of innovation that changed the world and encouraged generations of builders, thinkers, and problem-solvers.
Innovation often begins with one small step forward, one that can grow into something that enriches generations.
You can see it in the small ideas that made a big impact. Thomas Jefferson didn’t just help establish a nation — he also designed a swivel chair so he could write, think, and collaborate more easily.
It was a simple improvement, but it showed how freedom gives people the space to solve everyday problems in creative ways.
Louis Ballast did something similar decades later. He took a basic hamburger and added cheese, creating what we now know as the cheeseburger. It wasn’t complicated. But it worked and became a quintessentially American product.
And then there are the bigger leaps.
The Wright brothers, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio, achieved powered flight through trial, error, and persistence. They didn’t wait for permission. They kept testing, failing, and trying again until they succeeded and saw their first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Different ideas. Different industries. Same foundation: the freedom to create without waiting for government permission.
When people are free to try, fail, and try again, innovation moves forward.
Think of it as an equation: When a person builds or invents something that others value, they are free to profit from it.
The freedom to profit from new ideas is what encourages more people to take the risk of pursuing the American Dream.
And progress doesn’t happen all at once. It comes from small steps that build into something bigger over time.
What happens when barriers get in the way
But what happens when that freedom is limited?
Innovation slows. A rigid, top-down system makes it harder to take risks and harder to turn ideas into reality. When creativity has to pass through layers of rules and approvals, fewer ideas make it through.
Instead of progress, you get hesitation. Instead of breakthroughs, you get delays.
Whether they take the form of complex permitting processes, restrictive licensing rules, or regulations that raise the cost of bringing a new idea to market, we’ve seen what happens when barriers get in the way:
- Fewer new ideas reach the market
- Entrepreneurs face higher costs and uncertainty
- Communities miss out on growth and opportunity
- The next big breakthrough gets pushed further down the road
- Everyday Americans hesitate to take chances
For far too many Americans, the chance to pursue their version of the American Dream feels out of reach. When opportunity is limited, so is innovation.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
America’s greatest breakthroughs didn’t come from a top-down system full of bloated, costly regulations and layers of permission. They came from individuals who had the freedom to think differently and act on their ideas.
One Small Step forward
America’s story shows what’s possible when freedom leads. From small towns to big cities, innovation has always come from people willing to take one step toward solving a problem.
And that story isn’t finished.
As we approach our 250th anniversary, we face an important choice. Do we continue to support the freedom that fuels innovation, or allow barriers to hold us back?
One Small Step is about recognizing that progress comes from everyday actions — from people willing to step up, get involved, and help move the country forward.
Because every major breakthrough started the same way: with someone taking a step.
“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth,” George Washington once said. That growth is still possible today — but only if we protect the freedom that makes it happen.
Our country’s next great leap isn’t behind us. It’s ahead of us.
America’s next chapter depends on people willing to step up.
Start now with April’s One Small Step toolkit — and watch our video to learn more about this month’s theme. — and watch our video to learn more about this month’s theme.
