As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, I see myself enveloped in a sea of patriotism and commercialism. I have neighbors - former veterans, individuals who have fought for this nation to preserve her freedoms, whom drape out their Stars and Stripes with pride and honor. I have other neighbors who subject me to fireworks and noisemakers all in the name of fun and celebration of our nation’s independence. I sit back and think. Do we really know how much it cost to fight for and preserve this nation? Do we know the risks that the members of the Continental Congress took to sign and declare such a radical statement, 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”? Do we take them for granted?
Two notable events in history set the path for America to be the nation it is today. Please forgive me if I have not mentioned more, but here are the two that stick out to me – 1) The signing of the Declaration of Independence and 2) The end of the Battle of Gettysburg.
The former should be in the minds of every individual who undergoes the public education system. It is a lesson taught over and over again. But do we appreciate the risks those men took, when they committed treason against the British crown on a hot and humid Philadelphian day with their daring signatures on a piece of parchment so precious and vital to the formation of this nation? Their gamble paid off, and they soon found themselves with the Constitution, not withstanding a long and arduous Revolution and a failed Articles of Confederation before success was found. But they were the ones who set the foundation for a nation. A nation where men have unalienable rights and all men are created equal?
A second lesson we can take from this holiday is the end of the battle of Gettysburg. Granted that the Confederate troops were weary by this time of the war due to the Union blockade (the Anaconda plan) so astutely planned and marshaled by General Winfield Scott. They were found eating cherries from local plantations before the battle even, as shown by the horrible cases of diarrhea during the battle. But back to the point – if the Union had lost that day, would we still have a unified nation? Would the boom of the economy after the war and the attraction of immigration never have happened if the Confederate troops had won this decisive battle? It is often overlooked, the ties that the battle of Gettysburg has to American independence, but they are closer than one might think. The Union victory gave all those in the Union something to celebrate about following the massive bloodshed during the summer of 1863.
A second lesson we can take from this holiday is the end of the battle of Gettysburg. Granted that the Confederate troops were weary by this time of the war due to the Union blockade (the Anaconda plan) so astutely planned and marshaled by General Winfield Scott. They were found eating cherries from local plantations before the battle even, as shown by the horrible cases of diarrhea during the battle. But back to the point – if the Union had lost that day, would we still have a unified nation? Would the boom of the economy after the war and the attraction of immigration never have happened if the Confederate troops had won this decisive battle? It is often overlooked, the ties that the battle of Gettysburg has to American independence, but they are closer than one might think. The Union victory gave all those in the Union something to celebrate about following the massive bloodshed during the summer of 1863.
We may have been taught that our liberty is our right, but if we don’t take on the responsibility of educating ourselves of the importance of the actions of those who have fought to preserve it, we cannot call ourselves American. We as Americans, have a civil responsibility, and that is to educate ourselves on the history of our nation so that we may know the true meaning of the independence that we enjoy today.
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