June 27, 2023
As the 4th of July, or “Independence Day,” approaches, here is a little bit of the history of that wonderful day, courtesy of Britannica online.
“It commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The Congress had voted in favour of independence from Great Britain on July 2 but did not actually complete the process of revising the Declaration of Independence, originally drafted by Thomas Jefferson in consultation with fellow committee members John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and William Livingston, until two days later.
“The celebration was initially modeled on that of the king’s birthday, which had been marked annually by bell ringing, bonfires, solemn processions, and oratory. Such festivals had long played a significant role in the Anglo-American political tradition. Especially in the 17th and 18th centuries, when dynastic and religious controversies racked the British Empire (and much of the rest of Europe), the choice of which anniversaries of historic events were celebrated and which were lamented had clear political meanings.
“The ritual of toasting the king and other patriot-heroes — or of criticizing them — became an informal kind of political speech, further formalized in mid-18th century when the toasts given at taverns and banquets began to be reprinted in newspapers.”
Today, we often celebrate this historic occasion with fireworks displays at baseball games, parades, and other such events. However, we are, and have been for some time, moving away from the structure of our nation as our founders established it.
Alas, many Americans and others who live in the U.S. do not regard July 4th as a day to celebrate. And many of them, especially some younger ones, who haven’t been properly taught about their country, or for other reasons do not value it. Not only is July 4th not seen as something to celebrate, but America itself is not valued by many.
There is a famous story about this situation arising. James McHenry, a Maryland delegate to the Constitutional Convention, had recorded in his journal a brief conversation between a lady and Benjamin Franklin one day during the Convention. “A lady asked Dr. Franklin, ‘Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?’ Franklin replied, ‘A republic, if you can keep it.’”
The most notable democratic establishment, although not the first, was ancient Greece in the 4th and 5th centuries BC. Ancient Greece lasted about 200 years before falling apart.
The United States of America is approaching 250 years of existence, a bit longer than Greece, but showing signs of its dissolution, as well.
It is the tendency of some of those in our government these days, elected representatives and hired bureaucrats, to strive for greater and greater levels of control over the citizens, the people who pay their salaries, and entrust them with their freedoms. Only the comparatively few actual small-d “democrats,” who are determined to maintain the high level of personal freedom of the people and the low level of government control provided by our Constitution, avoid striving to increase control.
If we were to be visited by some of the founders and first presidents today, they would be aghast at what has been done to their marvelous creation. Their brilliant work does not appeal to many of those inside and outside of government, who either are not capable of understanding the greatness of our Constitution, or whose desires for power cause them to move away from our democratic republic and toward a monarchy or dictatorship. Away from capitalism and toward socialism.
How many of the founders ever considered having a Department of Education that would attempt to control what our children are presented in government schools that is outside of accepted curricula; or an Environmental Protection Agency that would tell property owners what they may do with mud puddles on their property.
Would they have imagined a Department of Homeland Security that would not secure our borders, or a Department of Justice that would label parents who attend school board meetings to complain about what is happening in their children’s schools — which are supported with the parents’ taxes — as domestic terrorists?
Of course, the founders could not imagine the way technology would evolve, and the tools we would have at our disposal. Which is why their policies are broadly designed to apply to whatever the future delivers, without the need to apply specifically to each and every new thing.
We have freedom of speech and expression — whether in public, online, or anywhere else — so long as that speech is not obviously dangerous. We don’t need self-important platform media tycoons imposing their political beliefs on us.
Former President Barack Obama must at least be given kudos for one thing: his honesty when he said, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”
This transformation is continuing under President Joe Biden, whose party is determined to “progress” America from the most free and successful governmental form in history.
Forbes magazine asks: “Why have socialist ideas become so attractive again, despite the fact that, without exception, every socialist experiment over the past 100 years has ended in dismal failure?”
Good question.
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