Still a Nation of Freedom
What does July 4th mean to you? I know what it means to me. The following are my thoughts on that question as we celebrate the day and reflect on where we are as a nation and what got us here in the first place.
Amid all the hoopla surrounding this most important holiday in
July, I hope, as Americans, we remember the reason we celebrate. It’s not the
hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, and games. It’s not the fireworks and
sparklers. It’s not even family and friends who gather around to enjoy a cold
glass of their favorite libation or a good conversation. Although these are
all very nice indeed.
It’s about freedom.
A freedom we have taken for granted but should remember to fight
for every day. It didn’t come easy. It won’t stay for long if we don’t hold
on tightly. I think it would do us good to remember that we won our
freedom; it wasn’t given to us.
The Declaration of Independence, written July 2, 1776, and
ratified July 4, 1776, is a document declaring our independence to live freely
and apart from monarchical rule. A bold move to be sure, but necessary at the time.
It states that every man and woman has the right to certain unalienable rights
that should not be infringed. Some may argue that this sentiment wasn’t applied
to everyone at that time, and I concede that might be true depending on your
perspective. But the words were necessary, nonetheless, and served as a tipping point of inclusion as we grew as a nation. Read more here.
Our Constitution, through its articles, outlines the structure of our government and the laws we live by. It also serves as a
template guide in enforcing those laws—if freedom is to be
kept. This democratic form of government, known as the “Great Experiment” at
the time, is fragile. As Ben Franklin is quoted when replying to a question of
whether we have a republic or a monarchy, “A republic if you can keep it,” was
his response. Read more here.
The experiment, or democratic republic, is different than parliamentary
governance. It had to be different because we are a nation made up of individuals
who govern ourselves. A Republic that establishes and abides by our own laws
without King, Queen, or dictator to rule over us. This is why we have
representatives to represent us in our nation’s capitol. They speak for us as
elected officials—elected by us.
Our Constitution has stood the test of time since its
ratification on September 17, 1787. There was no glorification in establishing
these new laws of governance. It was a slugfest of arguments over the intentions of each article in the Constitution. The Federalist Papers detail many arguments and
dangers for and against establishing these articles, which differed from the
Articles of Confederation. But the founders prevailed. Read more here.
Ultimately, it is a document that binds our “Declaration of Freedom.”
It supplies a structure for civilized government to operate without anarchy by outlining
individual rights as amendments called the Bill of Rights, ratified on December 15, 1791. Read more here.
On July 4, we celebrate the freedoms we have fought to win for
ourselves and maintain as long as we can. Many times these freedoms have been threatened, and so it is today. We should never forget that through the
spilled blood of our fallen heroes, sweat from the toils of others who made
this nation great, and the ingenuity needed to build what we have today—is why
we celebrate.
Our freedom.
~DaMarie
Photo Courtesy of Stephanie McCabe
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