Why we celebrate the 4th of July
The 4th of July celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. By the time the document was signed, the Revolutionary War had been raging for over a year. But initially, there was no clear goal of attaining independence from Great Britain. The idea was to remove British tyranny. As the war progressed the idea of complete independence gained momentum. By 1776, a year into the war, public opinion had shifted enough so that the colonies where able to unanimously accept the goal of throwing off the yoke of British tyranny once and for all.
It is a revolutionary document even by today’s standards. It defines the reason for government — to secure the people’s God given rights. Government does not give the people rights. It secures the rights they have.
It claims that government derives its powers from the consent of the governed. This was a novel concept in 1776 when most of the world was governed by monarchies who believed they derived power by divine right. It is in this light that we must view the British monarch's role as the head of the Church of England.
How many citizens today could correctly answer the question, “Why is there a country called the United States?” The Declaration gives the answer: ״[W]henever 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 effect their Safety and Happines." Later in the document the authors reiterate, “[W]hen a long train of abuses and usurpations . . . evinces a design to reduce them [the People] under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
These quotes from the first section of the Declaration are self-evident truths that apply equally today as they did when they were written.
The Declaration lists 27 grievances against the British monarchy. Sadly, we could address many of these grievances against our current government.
Here are some of the grievances:
“[King George III] has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.” If the Founding Fathers could see our bureaucratic state, they would be appalled, particularly considering the weaponization of government bodies such as the IRS, FBI, HHS and others.
“For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.”
“For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury.” While there is trial by jury in the United States today, given the fact that January 6th protesters are tried in DC, a venue in which they have absolutely no chance of a fair trial, we cannot honestly consider these trials to be trials by jury.
The Declaration of Independence is taught in schools throughout the United States. However, it is rivaled by a very different rendering of the reason for the creation of the United States; a rendering which makes a mockery of the Declaration and views the Founding Fathers as liars who wanted to “declare their independence from Britain . . . because they wanted to protect the institution of slavery.”
This is embarrasingly false. Many of the Founding Fathers, including John Adams, James Otis and Thomas Paine, were opposed to slavery. All the northern states took steps to abolish slavery after the revolution. The Declaration of Independence itself is clear. It leaves no room for ambiguity. There is nary a mention of slavery in the document. It is solely about breaking away from the tyranny of Great Britain.
Worse, though, is the mainstream’s acceptance of the 1619 project. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the project’s creator was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her initial essay on the project. The 1619 project has developed curricula which are being taught in schools throughout the nation.
The silver lining on this dark cloud, though, is that the battle lines have been clearly drawn. Supporters of the 1619 project show their true beliefs regarding the country of which they are citizens. There is no nuance here. President Trump has accused educators of teaching their students to “hate their own country”.
Some states have banned teaching the 1619 project in their public schools while in other states bans are working their way through the legislative process.
As for me, thank God for the 4th of July, the Declaration of Independence and the United States of America.
