Last week I wrote that the explanation of fascism that resonated most with me was a brief description given to U.S. soldiers in Europe during World War II to help them understand what they were fighting for—and why. It resonated in part because my father was an Army medic who fought against fascism in some of the bloodiest battles in Europe, an experience that I believe marked him for the rest of his life.

In the last few years, I’ve learned a great deal about my family history, especially on my father’s side, about whom I previously knew little. I discovered that my sixth great-grandfather, Henry Sparks, left England and its king behind when, in 1666, he came to the colonies as an indentured servant seeking a better life. His great-grandson, Isaiah Sparks, later fought for American independence as a militia member during the Revolutionary War.

Two generations after that, Isaiah’s grandson, Melvin Sparks, served in the 21st Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. According to his pension records and other documents, he was forever scarred by the horrendous battles in which he took part.

Then there is my father, Clyde Sparks, and the horrors he must have witnessed in Europe. Because he rarely spoke about what he experienced, I came to understand his war against fascism mostly through watching Band of Brothers, which follows soldiers who fought nearby under similar circumstances.

I don't know what motivated my ancestors, or what they believed about the wars in which they fought. I can only imagine what they would say about the rapid erosion of democracy over the past year. Would they feel their sacrifices were in vain, or urge us not to despair because American democracy is too resilient to fail? It is also possible that some of them would share at least a few of the views held by today’s MAGA loyalists.

I cannot know for certain, but I think it is likely they would have something to say about what they saw firsthand: the consequences of a small group of powerful people cruelly imposing their will on tens of millions, whether the victims were enslaved people in this country or the citizens of German-occupied Europe.

The American experiment with democracy has not served everyone equally well, yet it has managed, in fitful steps, to improve itself over the last 250 years. It has stood as a beacon for generations of immigrants who were willing to leave everything behind in search of a better life.

Perhaps most importantly, I’d like to think my ancestors would take pride in the sacrifices they made to help make that possible.