Kelly Lecker: Wisconsin should be proud of its role in history

From life-saving medicine to a new way to warm homes, the state's residents changed the way people across the country lived their lives.

Zalmon Gilbert Simmons from Kenosha bult a better mattress, but the contributions of the inventor, philanthropist and politician went far beyond helping people sleep. Jerome Case revolutionized mechanized farming. Karl Paul Link at UW-Madison developed the blood thinner Warfarin. Chris Farley made us all laugh.

America celebrates its 250th birthday in the middle of a deep political divide, and the mistrust and debate that inevitably follow have dampened some of the enthusiasm for this important milestone. It's natural to see the country through the eyes of current events.

But step back for a second and take a wider view. You'll see the path to this moment in time was paved by innovators, rebels and artists whose work influenced generations. You'll see that Wisconsinites have long come together when it mattered to make life better.

Take Vel Phillips. In 1951, she became the first Black woman to graduate from UW-Madison law school. She was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council in 1956 and fought against discrimination in housing and education. She was the first woman judge in Milwaukee County and the first Black judge in Wisconsin. In 1978, she became the first woman and the first African American elected to a state office when she became Wisconsin's secretary of state.

Phillips died in 2018 at the age of 95, but her legacy of fighting for civil rights lives on and inspires.

Many of the problems that sparked revolution and change continue today. Maybe looking back at heroes of innovation and creativity, of defiance and progress can inspire others to push for reform today.

Wisconsinites made their mark in business, sports, movies and politics.

These are the stories we wanted to tell around America's milestone. You'll find many of them in a special section in today's newspaper and on Madison.com. Reporters recounted some of the state's most important contributions to the nation. You'll also read about important U.S. history milestones, and you can look back at all the presidents who have led this country.

Many historic national moments are memorialized on the front pages of newspapers, from the declaration of World War II to the moon landing. You'll find many of those historic front pages at go.madison.com/pages. Over the past month, we've also been publishing short vignettes every day about important Wisconsinites, and those continue.

You can find people in Wisconsin today pushing for the ideals of freedom and equality that led to the founding of this country. There are new innovators and artists. Maybe we'll be telling their stories in 50 years.

So take some time to reflect and celebrate, and remember Wisconsin's key role in shaping the nation.