America 250: The great landmarks of America’s fight for independence

Burl Ives, the famous 20th-century American entertainer whom many will recognize as the narrator of the Christmas classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, once said, “How I longed to see these things; how I longed to see the Liberty Bell and walk on the streets where Thomas Jefferson, Tom Paine, and Benjamin Franklin had walked.” He understood the importance of America’s landmarks — and the affection every American should feel for them.