The 4th of July is the important holiday commemorating the Second Continental Congress approving The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and declaring our intent to break away from Great Britain. Our predecessors, the British colonists, were unhappy with their lack of say and their treatment at the hands of the British crown, so they made a revolutionary change.

Wait…What Are We Celebrating (Again)?

For this upcoming Fourth of July, I am troubled. We would presumably (if there were no pandemic) have all kinds of public and private celebrations. However, I wonder how many people really know the spirit of what we celebrate.

In writing this, I did something that I don’t think that I’ve ever done before nor many others: actually going through The Declaration of Independence. I would like to share some interesting passages to prompt some thought.

“…it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them…”

This passage toward the top of The Declaration of Independence was extremely important. At this time, there was the belief in the divine right of kings: that they received their authority from God. Here, our Founding Fathers suggested that Nature made us all equal. If our Founding Fathers were equal to King George II, then aren’t we still equal to each other?

The next passage is the one that most people know,

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…“

Just to provide a little bit of context, back then, men were the ones with the strongest legal rights, especially to vote. However, this was addressed with the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. According to this passage, the government get their authority from us to protect our rights to life, liberty and pursuing our happiness.

A little bit later, the purpose of government was reinforced,

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.“

So here, the writers said that, when the government no longer protects our natural rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the people have the right to change the government to do so. So when there are protesters (not to be confused with agitators) marching and fighting against certain social and government dysfunctions, abuses and inequalities, could we really argue against them?

When it comes to changing the government, the writers provided us a warning,

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.“

Here the writers said that changes to the government should be taken seriously. Also, when it comes to changing the government, the people hesitate to do so, while “problems” are viewed as no big deal. It would seem that some sort of tipping point would be necessary to take the people over the edge. We saw that with our Founding Fathers, who suffered “death by a thousand cuts” until they couldn’t take one more. What if there were less suffered evils, so that people wouldn’t have a reason to make changes because things truly work?

In discussing a tipping point, the writers described the many things that the British crown had done, before they felt it necessary to break away. They described being driven toward drastic action.

“In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.”

Back then, I don’t know that our colonial leaders had much pull with the British Crown to discuss what they viewed as overstepping by the crown. Consider that The British Empire had presences in North America, India and Africa. What motivation did they have to listen to a group of unhappy people in North America? Additionally, if they did grant American colonial requests, would this have set a precedent and loosened their control?

In the end, the writers felt that they had no choice but to break away. They could sustain no more violations to their rights of life, liberty and their pursuit of happiness. If the British Crown couldn’t or wouldn’t protect their rights, then, after considerable deliberation as well as great risk to themselves, they would create a government to protect their “natural rights.”

You First

While I understand that there are some that see the Fourth of July as just another day off of work and the resulting festivities, I would invite you to think more deeply about this holiday and to review the document that is our primary reason for this holiday.

In light of reviewing The Declaration of Independence, I feel that it should put the legitimate, peaceful protests and other airing of societal grievances in a newer light. While there are some that write off these grievances as fake, not a big deal or something that doesn’t happen all the time, these protesters, advocates and other concerned parties are not only within their rights, but are following in the tradition of the writers. If our government isn’t protecting everyone’s rights to life, liberty and the(ir) pursuit of happiness, then reasonable changes should be made to strengthen equality. In the context of The Declaration of Independence, it is mindboggling to me how protesting is seen as something un-American or “un-patriotic.” If anything, it’s one of the most American things to do.

So as you may engage in Fourth of July festivities and, if you’re so fortunate, enjoy your day off, take some moments to think about the Fourth of July and what it stands for. Think about how the writers and Founding Fathers put themselves on the line to protect their and, now, our “natural rights.” Think about how those liberties were later expanded with The Constitution, The Bill of Rights and later legislation. Think about the people whose rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness have been violated. Think about the people that have fought and sacrificed to fight for those whose rights were violated. So, yes, as you celebrate, I hope that you think about everything that has happened from July 4, 1776 to today.

**Does The Fourth of July Matter As Much To You As It Should?**

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