Independence Day, 2015
04/07/15 04:36
It isn’t uncommon to hear pundits and people with political agenda claim to know what was in the hearts and minds of the founders of our nation. The exact meaning of the words of the Declaration of Independence or of the Constitution are subject to intense debate. We have, of course, the Supreme Court to assist with constitutional interpretation, but it isn’t uncommon for people who are displeased with a particular ruling of the court to say that the court itself has reached beyond the intentions of the writers of the constitution.
I do not claim to be an expert in the meaning of the documents that contributed to the founding of this nation, but like my fellow citizens of this land, I have been a student of its history and am interested in its present. It is interesting, on this 4th of July, 2015, to look back at the story of the past 239 years and consider some of the wisdom that has been revealed in our experience as a nation.
It seems evident that the Declaration of Independence, the document that we celebrate today, was an expression of the excesses of Colonialism. the British Empire, represented by its king, was, in the opinion of the signers of the Declaration, overstepping reasonable authority. Of the 1337 words of the Declaration (just a shade longer than one of my typical blog posts), 690 are dedicated to list of complaints against the British king and his overstepping of his authority. The argument against the king is based on a series of assumptions which the Declaration declares are “self-evident.”
“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.”
Of course, like people in all times, our forebears were far better at imagining an ideal community than living out their ideals. Despite declaring it self-evident that all men are created equal, the 13 colonies didn’t, in fact, afford equal rights to all of their residents. The right to vote (reserved for men only) was restricted and denied to people on the basis of race, land ownership (or lack thereof) social status and education (or lack thereof). There were plenty of people in the colonies, not the least of whom were slaves, who were denied basic human rights. The declaration that all are created equal didn’t translate into a society where all were treated equal. The declaration that all have unalienable rights didn’t stop the colonies, even centuries after their declaration, from denying rights to some of the people of the country. We are always better at imagining our ideals than we are at living them out.
Despite these realities, I suspect that the signers of the Declaration of Independence were not, for the most part, a group of wild-eyed idealists. I think that among them were some realists who knew that founding a new nation would not instantly result in solving all of the problems of society. They understood that building a better future is a multi-generational enterprise and would not be surprised that we, 239 years later, still face major challenges in our struggle to establish a democracy on this continent.
As a member of the United Church of Christ, I understand how the history of our church and the history of our nation are tightly intertwined. a quarter of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Congregationalists, one of the predecessor denominations of our United Church of Christ. It was a Congregationalist church, after all, that hosted the Boston Tea Party, despite the rhetoric of a small group of right-wing extremists who know as little about the realities of our church today as they do about the history of the rebellion that was staged, not against the principle of taxation, but rather against the use of monopoly to restrict free trade and control prices.
One of the challenges of any anniversary is to be faithful to the history of the even we celebrate while at the same time being realistic about the realities of the present. Or forebears rebelled against empire and exceptionalism. we do them no honor to use the might of our nation to promote empire and exceptionalism. Our forebears declared the basic rights of all human beings, we do not honor them by restricting the rights of our neighbors.
There is much of the hoopla that is associated with the celebration of Independence Day that I often avoid. I enjoy watching fireworks, but don’t feel a need to be the one lighting the fuse. We don’t try to put on our own fireworks show, and it is hardly necessary with all of our neighbors blasting away in the evening hours for a few days around the holiday. I enjoy cooking outdoors and having a picnic, but I’m not a big fan of excessive alcohol consumption. A beer is a nice treat on a warm day. Drinking to excess just doesn’t appeal to me.
Because much of my work involves being in the public eye, I tend to seek out quiet places rather than crowds when I have time away from work. I’m sure this colors the way in which I celebrate the holiday as well. I’m comfortable leaving the crowds to others, thought I like music and this afternoon there is an opportunity to hear the U.S. Air Force Academy band in downtown Rapid City. We may just take in a bit of the concert. I’m sure it will be worth joining with others who want to hear the performance. Although it is near by, we didn’t drive out to Mt. Rushmore to hear the band’s performance last night. We had a nice barbecue in our own back yard, ate out on the deck and made it an early evening.
It is a day worth celebrating, but I pray that part of our celebration can be a reminder of the dreams of old that have not yet been achieved and a day of recommitting ourselves to the ideals of our forebears and the work that remains undone.
I do not claim to be an expert in the meaning of the documents that contributed to the founding of this nation, but like my fellow citizens of this land, I have been a student of its history and am interested in its present. It is interesting, on this 4th of July, 2015, to look back at the story of the past 239 years and consider some of the wisdom that has been revealed in our experience as a nation.
It seems evident that the Declaration of Independence, the document that we celebrate today, was an expression of the excesses of Colonialism. the British Empire, represented by its king, was, in the opinion of the signers of the Declaration, overstepping reasonable authority. Of the 1337 words of the Declaration (just a shade longer than one of my typical blog posts), 690 are dedicated to list of complaints against the British king and his overstepping of his authority. The argument against the king is based on a series of assumptions which the Declaration declares are “self-evident.”
“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.”
Of course, like people in all times, our forebears were far better at imagining an ideal community than living out their ideals. Despite declaring it self-evident that all men are created equal, the 13 colonies didn’t, in fact, afford equal rights to all of their residents. The right to vote (reserved for men only) was restricted and denied to people on the basis of race, land ownership (or lack thereof) social status and education (or lack thereof). There were plenty of people in the colonies, not the least of whom were slaves, who were denied basic human rights. The declaration that all are created equal didn’t translate into a society where all were treated equal. The declaration that all have unalienable rights didn’t stop the colonies, even centuries after their declaration, from denying rights to some of the people of the country. We are always better at imagining our ideals than we are at living them out.
Despite these realities, I suspect that the signers of the Declaration of Independence were not, for the most part, a group of wild-eyed idealists. I think that among them were some realists who knew that founding a new nation would not instantly result in solving all of the problems of society. They understood that building a better future is a multi-generational enterprise and would not be surprised that we, 239 years later, still face major challenges in our struggle to establish a democracy on this continent.
As a member of the United Church of Christ, I understand how the history of our church and the history of our nation are tightly intertwined. a quarter of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Congregationalists, one of the predecessor denominations of our United Church of Christ. It was a Congregationalist church, after all, that hosted the Boston Tea Party, despite the rhetoric of a small group of right-wing extremists who know as little about the realities of our church today as they do about the history of the rebellion that was staged, not against the principle of taxation, but rather against the use of monopoly to restrict free trade and control prices.
One of the challenges of any anniversary is to be faithful to the history of the even we celebrate while at the same time being realistic about the realities of the present. Or forebears rebelled against empire and exceptionalism. we do them no honor to use the might of our nation to promote empire and exceptionalism. Our forebears declared the basic rights of all human beings, we do not honor them by restricting the rights of our neighbors.
There is much of the hoopla that is associated with the celebration of Independence Day that I often avoid. I enjoy watching fireworks, but don’t feel a need to be the one lighting the fuse. We don’t try to put on our own fireworks show, and it is hardly necessary with all of our neighbors blasting away in the evening hours for a few days around the holiday. I enjoy cooking outdoors and having a picnic, but I’m not a big fan of excessive alcohol consumption. A beer is a nice treat on a warm day. Drinking to excess just doesn’t appeal to me.
Because much of my work involves being in the public eye, I tend to seek out quiet places rather than crowds when I have time away from work. I’m sure this colors the way in which I celebrate the holiday as well. I’m comfortable leaving the crowds to others, thought I like music and this afternoon there is an opportunity to hear the U.S. Air Force Academy band in downtown Rapid City. We may just take in a bit of the concert. I’m sure it will be worth joining with others who want to hear the performance. Although it is near by, we didn’t drive out to Mt. Rushmore to hear the band’s performance last night. We had a nice barbecue in our own back yard, ate out on the deck and made it an early evening.
It is a day worth celebrating, but I pray that part of our celebration can be a reminder of the dreams of old that have not yet been achieved and a day of recommitting ourselves to the ideals of our forebears and the work that remains undone.