MIDLAND, Mich. — The Mackinac Center is debuting a short film to mark the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. “The Overton Window & The American Revolution,” examines how the American experiment transformed from a radical idea into reality.

Public opinion can shift rapidly under the right conditions and redefine what is politically possible — a concept coined by Mackinac Center’s former executive vice president Joseph Overton and now known as the Overton Window. In the years leading up to 1776, ideas such as self-government and separation from Britain moved from the political fringe into the mainstream, reshaping the future of a nation.

Featuring historical experts and Mackinac Center leadership, the video examines the shift in public opinion that made American independence possible.

As the country reflects on its founding and the principles that shaped it, the video provides historical context for one of the most significant shifts in public thinking in American history.