The 4th of July is a great time in the middle of
the summer for families to get together, bbq’s to be enjoyed, parades of
celebrations and fireworks at night.
However like most holidays in modern America the meaning and history has
tragically been forgotten. America
is not something to mindlessly celebrate, it is a set of ideals to be
continually chased after and collectively pursued. There is still so much work to be done today in America to
live up to the grand idea of a place where everyone could respectfully come
together and have choices so long as they don’t interfere with other people’s
choices. The thing that sets
America apart is the blank slate of ideas that this country was founded
upon. Despite the greatness of
those ideas there has always been a cost.
On July 4th it is my contention that we ought to remember
what this day really is and remember it as such and remember it is not a
celebration for all. On this day
we should all reread the Declaration of Independence that Thomas Jefferson so
eloquently wrote and remember why it was written and how serious it was when
the Continental Congress adopted it.
We too must remember that July 4, 1776 signaled the beginning of the end
for the vast majority of the Native American tribes that inhabited the western ¾
of the country for thousands of years.
It is a bittersweet day to be sure. On one had we have the great ideas of a shared liberty and
yet we have the loss of a people as well.
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