For several years I joined members of a local historical society, townspeople, and visitors each July 4th for a public reading of the Declaration of Independence. What better way to celebrate the independence of our republic?
This year we commemorate the 248th anniversary of the ratification and announcement of that most eloquent of documents which gave birth to the United States of America. I had forgotten how long it is - 1,336 words not counting all the signatures – and contemplating their full meaning and intent, I quickly realized that there is more to the 4th of July than fireworks, parades, family picnics, and a day off from work. The Declaration of Independence is America 101; it expresses what we as Americans feel we deserve and why. It is a refreshing of our recollections as we read and listened to those words symbolizing the American people standing up for what they believe in.
We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness.
Read them, speak them, share them, and more importantly, remember them and don’t let anyone tell you they are no longer relevant. The Declaration of Independence was a litany of complaints against King George III designed to explain why the colonists were declaring themselves free of kings. Many Americans have forgotten what wonderful and beautiful music these words can be. Raise up your voices and be free!
The centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence occurred in 1876, just eleven years after the end of the Civil War that divided the nation our Founding Fathers struggled to bring together. Many of the issues that divided the original signers gave rise to that great conflict, and states that seceded from the Union beginning in 1860 to form the Confederate States of America, including four of the original thirteen colonies. The nation was licking its wounds in 1876, some of them still fresh a decade after that momentous conflict. There was little interest in celebrating the centennial.
The bicentennial in 1976 was certainly more festive. I recall watching the celebrations across the country on TV as we packed our small apartment in Tucson in preparation for our move cross country to the outskirts of Washington, DC, our current home. That evening, with an apartment full of boxes and expecting the movers first thing the following day, we walked to the University of Arizona campus where we watched the local fireworks. Upon our arrival in suburban Maryland later that August, we spent a great deal of time wandering our nation’s capital in the throes of its big national birthday gala. It was an exciting time to explore our new home.
But I will have to be honest with you. The 4th of July this year doesn’t ring very true. It is supposed to be a day when we show our patriotism for the founding of the United States and the principles on which it was established. It’s hard to feel very “patriotic” at a time when men and women who participated in an open insurrection against the US government of January 6, 2021 are called “true patriots” by so many Americans, including a man who wants to be President again . . . those who stormed and occupied the US Capitol carrying Confederate and Nazi flags and openly calling for the execution of the Vice President for doing his duty under the provisions of the US Constitution to which he swore an oath. If that is what constitutes patriotism today, then I want none of it.
Just a few days ago I watched a film clip showing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. I have seen this impressive ceremony in person a number of times and it never fails to remind me of the ultimate sacrifice so many American men and women have made in defense of this country and what it has long represented. And yet today there are broad sweeps of Americans who have forgotten their sacrifices while supporting a presidential candidate who openly wants to alter the historic path of this country away from freedom and democracy, a candidate who is a convicted felon, a sexual predator, a misogynist, a thief and a cheat, a pathological liar, an nescient narcissist, a domestic and international bully who makes fun of people with physical and mental issues, and to be absolutely frank, a fascist traitor who has openly defied the Constitution he swore and oath to protect and defend while giving aid and comfort to our enemies. A man who wants to be a dictator.
The Founding Fathers of our republic, such as it is and has ever been, set out on a noble path despite their faults and their shortcomings. These were men living under colonial rule in the latter half of the 18th century. Things were different then and we cannot judge them using a 21st century measuring stick. Recalling Paul the Apostle’s letter to the Galatians in which he cautioned them to hold on to their freedom under the laws and to never abuse them carelessly, these brave American men, looking to divine providence for protection, gathered to ratify and sign the Declaration of Independence while mutually pledging to each other their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor knowing full well the penalty would be death if they were captured. These were mostly men of means who had flourished under the tutelage of Great Britain and her King. Yet they valued liberty more, and many of them endured lasting hardships as a result of their patriotism. Some were forced to flee with their families. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned by the British forces sent to the upstart colonies to put down their rebellion. Nine took arms against the British and died from their wounds or other hardships during the Revolutionary War. Five were captured and charged as traitors and were tortured before they died. Three had sons who were killed or captured during the war. It was a high price indeed to pay for freedom and liberty. How soon we seem to forget.
This past week's Supreme Court decision destroyed one of the principles on which this nation was founded, that all people regardless of who they are, should be equal before the law. It has cleared the way for a former president, if he's reelected this November – and all future presidents – to act like absolute a monarch free to commit crimes with impunity. Heather Cox Richardson has noted that this decision is effectively an amendment to the US Constitution without the consent of the governed. Many thousands of true American patriots fought and died to wrestle the original thirteen colonies from a king who ruled with absolute power. Now the Supreme Court, forgetting the very basis for the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution, has anointed the US president as a modern-day king. It has betrayed the Founding Fathers and all those who fought for American Independence from Great Britain, the framers of the US Constitution, and everyone who has lived and died protecting our freedom and democracy. And why, if only to promote “the most corrupt, dangerous, depraved person to disgrace the office of the presidency.”
The parades, family picnics, and fireworks just don’t ring true today.
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