In the months prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the signers had been accused of treason and King George would have liked to see them hanged. Despite the secrecy and knowledge of their certain death if caught, they persisted and the signing of the Declaration set the stage for the most successful and moral government in history.
There are two days a year that really touch me, and that is Independence Day and the Marine Corps birthday on 10 November. Well, my children's birthdays and such always touch me too, but I mean other than family moments. Both days revolve around the concept of something larger than me and my family. Larger than any one individual, larger than any one group. The United States, despite its youth, is the yardstick by which liberty and freedoms are measured. The United States is the one place in the world where people feel secure. The one palce where their families can succeed regardless of social status, place of origin, religion, or any other criteria. The United States is the one palce in the world where people face death for themselves and their families in attempts to touch our shores and become American.
I have linked to the text of the Declaration, but I urge you to check the homepage for ushistory.org.
As you grill out and enjoy your day, remember the patriots of the 1770s, and the struggle in which they participated. Liberty is no less a desire today than it was in 1776, and in many places the struggle continues. Carpe Diem!
You Are Among The Elite!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Wishing Everyone a Wonderful Independence Day
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4 Posts From Readers:
Yes, democracy is a struggle, and I hope we remember the plethora of conflicts we've had as a nation before we achieved any semblance of democracy; it's certainly nothing that can be "instated" elsewhere.
Yes Laurie, we can lead the Iraqi horse to water, but we can;t make them drink. We can't force democracy anywhere, but as our founders believed, it is the basic human condition to value liberty. Because of our success, we have a duty to ensure an environment where democracy can flourish. It may not be exactly as we might wish, but that's the whole point, isn't it?
"America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will recommend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her own example. She well knows that by once enlisting under banners other than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, ambition, which assumed the colors and usurped the standards of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force....She might well become the dictatress of the world. She would no longer be the ruler of her own spirit."--John Quincy Adams
ha, I am going to experiment my thought, your post bring me some good ideas, it's truly amazing, thanks.
- Murk
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