Guest Columnist
On Wednesday we celebrate our nation’s birthday, commonly known as the Fourth of July. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress voted by individual state in favor of a revised resolution declaring our independence from the rule of Great Britain. Independence is an important place-name in America dating from this event. My mother was born and grew up in a small town in southeastern Kansas, known as Independence.
A few weeks before the formal vote for independence, the Congress had affirmed a resolution declaring that the 13 colonies should be free of British rule. A committee of five was chosen to draft a written resolution. The committee in turn chose their youngest member, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, to write the draft. Jefferson threw himself into the work and produced The Declaration of Independence which made the case that the new nation should separate from their founders.
On July 2, the Congress voted to approve the Declaration in principle. The next day, they spent chopping it up, word-smithing Jefferson’s work to its final form. History tells us that the brilliant Jefferson was incensed that his work could be improved and as usual, stayed silent as his colleagues argued over and changed his work. Finally the revised draft was complete and the next day, July 4, the Congress held a second vote to approve the Declaration.
John Adams of Massachusetts was forever convinced that the day of celebration (with fireworks and patriotic songs) should be July 2 when the Style Committee’s work was approved, but history moved the date forward by two days. Sorry John.
The Declaration of Independence is a list of grievances against the British Crown and Parliament which justified, in the mind of the colonists, their independence. An important transgression was that Parliament was levying taxes on their colonies including America without the affected people being represented in the legislative body. The cry “no taxation without representation” was a rallying-cry that reverberated through the colonies.
With this resolution, 13 colonies of Great Britain became 13 states of the fledgling United States of America. Initially, the members of the Congress didn’t sign the Declaration because it was still a marked up working copy. Instead, their secretary had to painstakingly write in long-hand the four-page document and all of its copies. It was not until the following month that the members regathered to affix their signatures to the formal declaration, led by their leader John Hancock with his bold signature. The original copy resides in the Library of Congress in Washington DC for public viewing.
The 56 signatories of this famous document were committing a treasonous act and suffered greatly during the next few years as the American Revolution turned to outright warfare. A lot of hard work lie ahead. Against long odds, the newly found nation had to defeat the most powerful nation in the world. Congress had to find the money to support that war and decide how it would govern itself. It was far from easy and would take more than ten years to achieve.
Looking back from the perspective of more than two centuries, it is difficult to perceive how revolutionary the American experiment was. No nation on earth in 3,000 years of recorded history had tried anything so radical. The divine right of kings and royalty in general were rejected. America’s independence set the table for other nations around the globe to establish self-governing democratic republics.
This is the remarkable story I grew up with as a boy. Not surprisingly, I’m fiercely patriotic. I read in a news report last week that a recent study showed that the most patriotic citizens live in the state of Virginia. Was this because they reside in a state that was so prominent in our nation’s founding? Apparently not since one of the least patriotic states is Massachusetts.
I worry that our schools are not teaching this story to young people. I worry that immigrants to the United States, particularly those who do not arrive by legal means, do not learn this story. Assimilation of young and new people to our great land is vital, in my opinion.
I stand and salute the flag that represents our nation. I pledge allegiance to that flag and all that it stands for. Someday, it will cover my coffin before it is lowered to rest in American soil.
I am proud of my country and all that it stands for. While we aren’t perfect, I think we’re the best on earth and will continue to work hard to make it even better. As the Statue of Liberty beckons, we are the light of freedom. Long may we stand. I’m particularly grateful to our Founding Fathers who took the gamble and began our march toward independence and freedom. Happy Fourth Madison.