Celebrating ideals, independence
On July 4 we celebrate the "birthday" of the greatest nation on earth. At least, we like to think of it as such. We commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which embodies some very lofty principles unusual, if not unique, in its time.
The most important standards expressed in it are that a government should derive its power from the consent of the governed, that all people are created equal and that all people have certain God-given, natural rights. These rights were later spelled out in more detail in the first 10 amendments to the Constitution or the Bill of Rights.
On Independence Day it is appropriate to honor these principles upon which our nation was founded. It also might be fitting to ponder how well we live up to these principles.
Historically the phrases of the Declaration have been noble rhetoric, which often were preached more than practiced. For nearly a century some of those who were "created equal" were still held in slavery. It is only within the last 100 years that women and native Americans were given the right to vote. I guess our government derived its power from the consent of the white males among the governed.
Our nation has been built by immigrants from all over the world, and their descendants continue to contribute a variety of talents and (we hope) uphold the twin ideals of unity and diversity. Unfortunately sometimes each wave of immigrants has claimed the country as theirs and discriminated against the next wave of immigrants. Today the brunt of such prejudice is borne mostly by Hispanics. However, I have heard a few citizens complain about the Indians. Talk about ironic! I'll bet the native Americans wish they had imposed stricter immigration laws a few hundred years ago.
Probably our most important rights are embodied in the First Amendment: freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of religion. While we all agree with this amendment in principle, you often hear people advocating limits on these freedoms in one situation or another. Some of my conservative friends would like to muzzle the mainstream media, while I would be more likely to want to silence the right wing talk shows financed by big corporate sponsors. I do recognize, however, that both are entitled to freedom of the press. Our founding fathers exhibited a touching faith that as long as all opinions, no matter how outrageous, could be expressed freely, citizens would be intelligent enough to choose which to believe.
Freedom of speech even (or perhaps especially) includes the right to speak out against the actions of our government and its leaders. Criticizing a government policy (the war in Iraq, for example) is not unpatriotic. It is exercising the freedom and the responsibility necessary to a government "of the people, by the people and for the people."
The architects of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were particularly concerned about religious freedom and the separation of church and state. I know some right wing reader will point out that the last phrase does not appear in the Constitution. True. However, it was Thomas Jefferson, writer of the Declaration of Independence, who said the First Amendment was intended to put a "wall of separation between church and state."
The founding fathers were not far removed from an England in which the monarch determined the religion of the people. Queen Mary decreed Catholicism and executed Protestants. With Elizabeth I the reverse was the case. When Oliver Cromwell came to power, only Puritans were safe. Few of the 13 colonies extended religious freedom to their residents. The Puritans, famous for coming across the seas seeking religious freedom, ended by hanging Quakers.
No wonder those who crafted our Constitution wanted to keep the government out of religion. However, there has been a constant struggle between those who favored and those who opposed government involvement in religion — even to the present time.
As we celebrate the birthday of our country, let us thank God for the beauties and blessings afforded it, the noble ideals of its foundation, and the people of all races and ethnicities who have made it great. Let us not deny the ways in which we have failed to live up to the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. On the contrary, let's examine ourselves to see where improvement is still needed. May the United States, even with all its shortcomings, always be a beacon of liberty, justice, and truth to the world. Happy birthday, USA.
— Jane Vajnar
