For that, today, we celebrate
They didn't cower before a strongman. They didn't back down from what they knew to be right. They needed courage and persistence and eventually some help from an ally.
They created a country that, for all its flaws and missteps, for all its sins and injustices, has led the world for more than two centuries towards inclusiveness, equality, justice and the rule of law. We've been better at those things than nearly anyone else until about the last 50 years.