Why Celebrate the 4th of July? A Declaration

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, thatthey 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."

– From The United States Declaration of Independence, 

adopted by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, 

Pennsylvania, on July 4, 1776.

America celebrates Independence Day every July 4 to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The holiday is significant to the citizens of the United States for obvious reasons, but it is also recognized by people worldwide as the annual celebration of American beliefs. Thus, the Fourth of July is steeped in meaning. The true sense of the day requires contemplation. 

The United States of America was established because its founders believed in a series of virtuous principles and ideas. Many having escaped religious persecution in Europe, the first non-native Americans were firm defenders of liberty, freedom and opportunity, concepts that continue to represent the bedrock of the country's rich history. 

Although most today would concede the nations has not always lived up to these ideals, the American spirit to strive for perfection has always prevailed. The struggle for attainment is ongoing in a land as diverse as any on the face of the planet.

Indeed, it is fitting to celebrate Independence Day; however, beyond our simple commemoration of the Founding fathers, we should also take this opportunity to pledge to work together to resolve problems and differences in order to maintain the integrity and values upon which the Declaration of Independence was founded. So, the real meaning of the holiday requires a renewed affirmation to better the nation. 

In essence, each of us must pen our own “signature” beside the likes of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and John Hancock so that inalienable rights may live on. As the course of human events brings changes, we must adjust and seek to live up to a birthright requiring active participation. Only then will the United States of America remain the freest, most creative, most productive nation.

Change? Absolutely. Democracy requires adaptation and progressive movement. Even the Founding Fathers created a very imperfect union. For so many, the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness was denied. Consider these words about independence spoken by Frederick Douglass taken from a speech given in Rochester, New York, in July 1852.

“This, for the purpose of this celebration, is the Fourth of July. It is the birth day of your National Independence, and of your political freedom. This, to you, as what the Passover was to the emancipated people of God. It carries your minds back to the day, and to the act of your great deliverance; and to the signs, and to the wonders, associated with that act, and that day …

“Fellow-citizens, I will not enlarge further on your national inconsistencies. The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretense, and your Christianity as a lie. It destroys your moral power abroad: it corrupts your politicians at home. It saps the foundation of religion; it makes your name a hissing and a bye-word to a mocking earth. It is the antagonistic force in your government, the only thing that seriously disturbs and endangers your Union. it fetters your progress; it is the enemy of improvement; the deadly foe of education; it fosters pride; it breeds insolence; it promotes vice; it shelters crime; it is a curse to the earth that supports it; and yet you cling to it as if it were the sheet anchor of all your hopes.

“Oh! be warned! be warned! a horrible reptile is coiled up in your nation's bosom; the venomous creature is nursing at the tender breast of your youthful republic; for the love of God, tear away, and fling from you the hideous monster, and let the weight of twenty millions crush and destroy it forever!”

(Frederick Douglass. “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro.” 1852.)

These prophetic words preceded the bloody American Civil War that tore the nation apart and the ongoing civil rights struggles that continue to this day. It is imperative we continue to refine the “self-evident truths” declared by those in 1776. Flags, fireworks, and proclamations honoring America relate our love for the history of a glorious nation. Yet, the progress of the country depends upon mending inconsistencies. 

To live in the United States of America requires commitment as well as allegiance. Those who defend the rights of some at the expense of others soil the pledge to liberty and justice “for all.” We must endeavor to achieve harmony in the face of continued division. This is the state of our union in 2019, and it has been since its inception. The Declaration remains a living document. We continue to struggle to reach the ideals on its face, and only persistent hard work will strengthen the heartbeat of the contract therein.

God speed the year of jubilee
The wide world o’er
When from their galling chains set free,
Th’ oppress’d shall vilely bend the knee,
And wear the yoke of tyranny
Like brutes no more.
That year will come, and freedom’s reign,
To man his plundered fights again
Restore.

God speed the day when human blood
Shall cease to flow!
In every clime be understood,
The claims of human brotherhood,
And each return for evil, good,
Not blow for blow;
That day will come all feuds to end.
And change into a faithful friend
Each foe.

God speed the hour, the glorious hour,
When none on earth
Shall exercise a lordly power,
Nor in a tyrant’s presence cower;
But all to manhood’s stature tower,
By equal birth!
THAT HOUR WILL, COME, to each, to all,
And from his prison-house, the thrall

Go forth.

Until that year, day, hour, arrive,
With head, and heart, and hand I’ll strive,
To break the rod, and rend the gyve,
The spoiler of his prey deprive-
So witness Heaven!
And never from my chosen post,
Whate’er the peril or the cost,
Be driven.

- William Lloyd Garrison