On Christmas, we don’t say, “Happy December 25th!” We say, “Merry Christmas!” On Halloween, we don’t say, “Happy October 31st!” We say, “Happy Halloween!”
So why is it that more and more Americans are prone to say, “Happy 4th of July!” as opposed to “Happy Independence Day!”?
Yes, this is somewhat anecdotal. No, I do not have hard data to demonstrate that “Happy Independence Day” is going the way of the dinosaurs.
However, I have noticed that in the past few years, many Americans seem less cognizant that July 4 is about the national celebration of our official break from British tyranny than it is about having a big barbeque, watching fireworks, or having fun in the sun.
Consider. In 2011, only 58 percent of Americans actually knew that July 4, 1776, was the official date of our nation’s independence. I have a sneaking suspicion that number would probably be even lower if the poll were conducted today.
Perhaps this Independence Day we should take a look back at what transpired in and around that magical day in 1776.
First, it should be known that declaring independence from Great Britain was not a foregone conclusion. The Continental Congress was very divided on the issue. It took months of heated debate before the ultimate decision, a monumental decision that would change the course of human events forever, was made in favor of severing the bond with the Crown.
Second, each and every Independence Day, we should revisit one of the greatest documents in human history: The Declaration of Independence.
We should especially focus on these words: “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, --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 affect their Safety and Happiness.”
For that is the embodiment of the American spirit and the primary reason that our brave forefathers put everything on the line so that future generations could live freely.
Third, given the turmoil and division that has engulfed America in recent years, we should pay particular attention to what we have in common, instead of what drives us apart.
And one of the most basic commonalities that all Americans share, and ought to celebrate on Independence Day, is our unfettered freedom.
For freedom is not the natural state of affairs. Actually, freedom is the rare exception.
Throughout the vast swath of history, people have lived under governments that restricted personal freedom. The United States, on the other hand, was founded upon the principle that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is a God-given, not government-given, right.
And this is by no means set in stone. It is necessary that each generation recognizes this awesome achievement so that it is cherished and bestowed to future generations.
Yet, I am concerned that the acknowledgment of this glorious triumph for human freedom (and dignity) is being disregarded with each passing year.
More and more, we see polls showing that Americans do not believe the United States is an exceptional country. Or that free-market capitalism is not superior to collectivism. Astonishingly, we even see Americans rejecting the premise of the Declaration of Independence.
John Adams, one of the prominent figures in the fight for American liberty, had a very different view than many modern Americans on what Independence Day actually means,
As Adams said, “[Independence Day] will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. 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.”
This Independence Day we should hearken back to the spirit of 1776 and celebrate our nation’s independence in all its splendor.
Chris Talgo(ctalgo@heartland.org) is senior editor at The Heartland Institute.