Despite what the defeatists in this nation, the hatemongers, the propagandists, and al Queda might say, the United States of America is still looking good on this, its 230th birthday. No other nation on Earth has done so much for so many, has done so much without asking for anything other than ground to bury its soldiers on, than this country.230 years ago, a group of men from various backgrounds came together to discuss the state of affairs in the 13 colonies. These men, through the expanded literacy in the colonies, were well versed in the ideals of the Enlightenmment. They were well versed in the idea of a social contract advanced by Hobbes and further developed by John Locke in his two treatises. These men realized that liberty was the inherent best gift of God, and that the liberty of people in the colonies was being taken by a Crown than had decided to go too far.
Whether these men knew it or not, their words truly were revolutionary, no other country made the pronouncement that ALL men were created equal. Even if the author and signers to the document didn't fully advance this idea, their codifying it set the stage for the greatest advancement of liberty the world has known--the American Dream. What those men did, and what they wrote down, set the stage for some of the most amazing times in history, and set up this nation as a beacon of freedom both for the inhabitants and those in lands far away. It set up and codified the idea that God created man with certain rights that are non-negotiable, and that all men are created equal and should be equal in the opportunity to attempt something, if not in the outcomes. It set forth a bold new course; it set forth a high bar, and we have been endeavoring ever since to make those ideals a reality.
Has it always been great? No. Have we been perfect? Lord, no. However, no other nation has gone so far to not only admit its errors but to make up for them. Japanese Americans have been given apologies and reparations, African Americans enjoy equal rights, (some would argue special rights), and we are continuing to review views on freedom and liberty and the expansion of our freedoms.
On this day, we celebrate not the meeting of a group of "great rich white men" as some would say. What we celebrate is the inspiration these men had, the foresight even beyond themselves, that they codifed the ideal of liberty being God given, not man given. That they codified the ideal that would bring down slavery, that all men are created equal. What we celebrate is the birthing of an ideal, and the development of that ideal, that there is an American Dream out there. There is a great opportunity, there is a great hope, in the United States, in the words of the Declaration of Independence, and in the ideals that developed from them. We celebrate the continuing revolutino of that Great Experiment, the notion of a government conceived on the beliefs of liberty, not on the ideals of conquest. We celebrate the creation of the last best hope for liberty, we celebrate our independence from all other nations, our unique place in history for the thoughts of Jefferson, Hamilton, Jay and others.
We celebrate our independence, our freedom, and our hope for a brighter tomorrow, our hope that that Flag will always still be there, and that the freedoms discussed in the Declaration will flourish, not just here, but all around this world...
Happy Independence Day, Happy Birthday, America! And many, many more!
God bless us all, and God bless America!
