Happy Birthday America
The United States of America turned 250 years old last Saturday.
On July 4, 1776, representatives of 13 colonies declared their independence from England. Our founding fathers wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they 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,
“That whenever 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 …”
They ended the Declaration of Independence (after a list of grievances about the British Crown, with the actual declaration writing, “We, therefore, the Representatives of the united (sic) States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.”
And so began the United States of America. It continued with the American Revolution, the passing of the Constitution 21 years later in 1787, and finally four years later there was the passage of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.
It all began with a simple document, a great vision and a desire for freedom. Freedom spelled out in those Bill of Rights. As I have written before, I do not believe that it is a coincidence about the importance of free speech, free press and freedom of religion being first. These were some of the grievances they expressed against the Crown. Some of the grievances are seen in many countries around the world today — being told what and who to worship, a government or national media reporting just what the government wants people to know, and people not being allowed to protest or oppose the government.
These first freedoms are freedoms I hold dear every day. These are freedoms I will celebrate this week and weekend. I am a proud American because I am proud of the principles this country was found upon and the principles that this country has been fighting for since July 4, 1776.
And for that, we say thank you, and we celebrate our founding fathers, who took a chance to start a new government, a new country.
Speaking of those founding fathers … perhaps Simon Wilder in the movie “With Honors” said it best, “Our ‘founding parents’ were pompous, middle-aged, white farmers, but they were also great men. Because they knew one thing that all great men should know: that they didn’t know everything. They knew they were gonna make mistakes, but they made sure to leave a way to correct them. They didn’t think of themselves as leaders. They wanted a government of citizens, not royalty. A government of listeners, not lecturers. A government that could change, not stand still.”
This was our beginning, this is why we celebrate.
Happy Birthday America, may we have 250 years more of freedom.
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