"I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."
- John Adams in a letter to his wife Abigail.
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...
Read the whole Declaration, it doesn't take long. Great words - that's where Ideas begin.
Sadly, many people today believe that Independence Day is a military inspired holiday like Memorial and Veterans days. While I will never denigrate our servicemembers who protect our liberty (and who swear an oath to defend the Constitution which places them under civilian control), part of the reason we broke with England was due to King George III's brutal occupation army. July 4th is set aside to commemorate the birth of our country and the IDEA of Liberty - an idea for which our founders pledged "our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
What would Adams think of today's Military-Industrial Complex? What would Jefferson think of our crumbling separation of Church & State?
No comments:
Post a Comment