4th of July 2020

The Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day and America’s Birthday, is one of our most popular holidays, in part because it comes in mid-summer. Americans celebrate our “birthday” eating watermelon and shooting off and watching fireworks. This holiday commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia which declared that the 13 colonies were Free states and no longer subject to rule of the British King.

Independence Day is such a big holiday, many do not realize that it only became a national holiday in 1941—just before the U.S. entered World War II.

This year, due to the COVID19 pandemic and the desire of most for social distancing, fireworks displays and big public events have been cut back or cancelled. The Fourth of July this year, however, comes at a time in which the nation is in the midst of an unprecedented national reckoning. The Memorial Day murder of George Floyd by police officers has set off protests across the nation. They rival or exceed the civil rights demonstrations in the 1960s.

There is a national re-examination of our nation, ours laws, our racism, sexism, and our classism. Although some laws and policies are already changing, it is too soon to know if this will be the change promised in our Declaration.

All “men” are created equal

Almost every American can recite lines from the Declaration, especially this one:

“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.”

As impactful as these words are, they have generated questions about the meaning of the words all “men”. Do they mean those “unalienable rights” apply to men not women? How do we reconcile the fact that the Declaration says “all” men, yet not all men were legally entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness back then. Only “male” landowners could vote and hold office, and millions of men and women were not free. They were subject to the national disgrace and horror of slavery.

Teachers and pundits throughout the years have tried to convince us that the words “all men” were meant to include all, not just white, male landowners. The reality is, those words were meant to be taken literally in the minds of those who wrote and signed the Declaration. At the time, women were subject to men. African slaves and Native Americans were considered to be sub-human. The proof of this is not in their words, but in their deeds.

The Declaration did not anticipate equality

First off, a large number of the signers of the Declaration, including Thomas Jefferson, owned slaves, as did our first president, George Washington. When the founding “fathers” wrote a Constitution, they specifically allowed slavery and they denied many rights, including the right to vote, to women. Most rights were reserved for men who owned property. Catholics were not allowed to hold public office, except in Maryland.

From the beginning the words “Founding Fathers” have been used to describe the signers of the Declaration and those who drafted the Constitution. Yet, no attempt was made for over a century and a half to legally recognize the 50% of the population who were female. Furthermore, after slavery was abolished in 1865, former male slaves were given the right to vote. Women had to wait until 1920 to receive this most fundamental right of democracy.

We must admit our shortcomings before change can happen

Persistent nationwide protests have brought some change. In just a little over a month, many state and local governments have already changed laws and policies governing criminal justice and police departments.

There is certainly a national reexamination of our bias in laws and customs. Monuments to white supremacy have been coming down. These monuments honored Confederate generals who were slave owners and committed treason to protect slavery. In addition, monuments to presidents and others who were white supremacists have come under scrutiny. The question is, will this reckoning with our history and our present continue, or will it fade away to be replaced by the complacency that led to our current state of affairs? Time will tell.

Change can only come when we recognize and admit our shortcomings and become steadfast in our resolve to correct them.