As we celebrate another Independence Day, I am again reminded of how we got here. The Revolutionary War, Colonial America, and the Founding Fathers were my focus as a history major, so it is this period in history that most interests me. It amazes me what a few men did as rebels against the king of one of the mightiest empires in the world, to put a system in place that has survived for nearly 250 years and made a nation into one of the largest and strongest nations and economies in the world. These men, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Jay, James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and others, put their lives on the line to remove this land from the grips of Great Britain and form their own nation with a new form of government, a democratic republic. Now two and a half centuries later, we have that same government with very few adjustments. That is a testament to the wisdom and greatness of these men.
A couple weeks ago a friend showed me a t-shirt at Wal-Mart that said, “Party like it is 1776”. I had to have the shirt. I thought it was great. My mom and sister just looked at me like I was crazy. Truthfully though, there was a party in 1776. Throughout the colonies patriots celebrated a freedom they didn’t quite fathom yet, but they knew it meant they were no longer at the mercy of a tyrant king, as they knew George III to be.
As told by Ron Chernow, author of Washington: A Life:
“The troops rejoiced upon hearing the document. ‘The Declaration was read at the head of each brigade,’ wrote Samuel Blachley Webb, ‘and was received with three huzzas by the troops.’
Reading of the document led to such uproarious enthusiasm that soldiers sprinted down Broadway afterward and committed an act of vandalism: they toppled the equestrian statue of George III at Bowling Green, decapitating it, then parading the head around town to the lilting beat of fifes and drums.”
If you ever wondered why fireworks are a traditional part of Independence Day celebrations, you can thank John Adams for that one. On July 2, 1776, twelve colonies signed the Declaration of Independence. As Thomas Jefferson was writing the final version to be published and released to the masses, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail.
“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America,” Adams wrote. “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival…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.”
The Declaration would actually be dated two days later when it was published, which would be the day we now celebrate as our Independence Day, July 4.
If you know anything about our Founding Fathers that you learned in school, it is probably wrong. George Washington didn’t say, “I cannot tell a lie, I chopped down the cherry tree.” As a matter of fact, it was the fact that Washington was such a good liar that the colonies won the Revolutionary War. Washington operated a very complex ring of spies to get information to stay a few steps ahead of the British throughout the war. He was very devious in his fighting style that he was able to overtake many British soldiers with a very small ragtag group of American soldiers and with very limited supplies. If George Washington had not had such a mind to lie and scheme, there would have been no way the small, poorly supplied and under dressed, poorly trained, part-time army, could have beaten the much larger superior redcoat army of Great Britain.
Today you hear about many of the Founding Fathers like Washington and Jefferson and it is with hatred and animosity, from people calling them entitled, racist, white men. One of the best-selling plays on Broadway is Hamilton, which only allows the audience to accept the Founding Fathers by turning them into people of color. Contrary to popular belief, most of them were very progressive for their time. Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Franklin, and a few others did own slaves, while writing about the evils of the institution. Thomas Jefferson’s original version of the Declaration of Independence, condemned slavery as an evil foisted upon the colonies by the British. Because so many delegates refused to sign the document with the passage included, the final draft omitted the passage to gain needed support of the southern delegations.
While I am positive if you took most people from the 18th century and dropped them into the 21st century United States, they would seem racist, homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic, and any number of other names the woke crowd uses to lay blame on a group of people in today’s society, I like to caution people about judging history by the standards of today. If the Founding Fathers were living today and were brought up in today’s society, I’m sure they would have much more liberal views. As a Conservative I can look at Thomas Jefferson and say I really like him and his mind on a lot of issues, however, all things being equal, meaning if I lived in his time or he in mine, he would probably be too liberal for me. I hate to say it given that hindsight is 20/20, but I would have probably been a loyalist to the Crown if I had lived in the colonies with the same heart I have today. I thank God for forward thinking, intelligent men who put their country before themselves, and decided that breaking away from Britain was the wiser way to go.
At any point any of these men could have been captured and hung by the British government as traitors. Jefferson very narrowly escaped Monticello once when they came for him. If it had happened that any of these men had been killed for their actions, it is likely that we would be living under a totally different system of government today. It is because of these brave and wise men that we have one the first of its kind constitutions, which is a living document that lays out how our government works, but most importantly sets limits on what government can take from the people. The most outstanding part of the document is that the first ten amendments give the common man rights that the government cannot take away. The Founding Fathers also saw fit to split the government into three branches so that each branch serves as a check and balance to the other two, making it near impossible for any branch to have enough power to take over control of government or the people. They made sure to make the legislative branch, the one that makes the laws for the people, to be fully representative of the people, by having one chamber with two representatives from each state, and one chamber with representation according to the state’s population. By doing so, all citizens would have representation in the lawmaking process. Finally, the Constitution makes it possible, but not easy to make amendments to change the document as society changes and the people see fit to make changes.
If you know nothing else about the birth of our nation, I believe that the most important thing to know is the genius of our Founding Fathers. Some of them were very young, even in their late twenties or early thirties when serving in the continental congress, but they were brave, daring, and wise beyond their years. The United States of America is not perfect, but there is a reason she is one of the strongest nations economically, militarily, and has a great reputation around the world. I know there are those who would disagree, but there are millions more people trying to get in than trying to get out, I believe that speaks volumes about her reputation.
Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, two men who were worst of enemies and best of friends throughout their lives, died on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the birth of our nation. They both had a large part in birthing this nation and had much to be proud of and respected for at the time of their deaths. I enjoy studying both of these men, who were polar opposites, and very flawed, but extremely brilliant. I would encourage anyone to look into their biographies.
I am very happy to be an American. As far as I know we do not choose where we are born, and I was lucky enough to be born with all the privileges and opportunities that come with being an American. When I look around the world at all the other places I could have been placed, there is no other place I would rather be. I hope you all enjoy our birthday today. Think about how fortunate you are to be able to celebrate our Independence.
Happy 248th Birthday U.S.A.!
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Love it!!!