As a child, I loved the Fourth of July--it meant family and friends gathering, good food, and a fantastic display of fireworks, always put on by my brother Aaron (the fire-lover in the family). Today is also my mother's birthday, so we have always associated this holiday with cake and ice cream and the personal family celebration.
Needless to say, Independence Day ranks up there with Thanksgiving and Christmas in terms of how important they are to me. Last year, I celebrated quietly in England by telling my students about the holiday and it's meaning. This year, I am able to celebrate it more fully.
In the last week or so, I've been thinking especially about the significance of this holiday. Without the Declaration of Independence, what would the course of this county have looked like? Would we be as Canada is--still somewhat tied to the English Constitutional Monarchy, or would we have achieved independence in another way?
And to think of the sheer courage it took for the Founding Fathers to draft the Declaration of Independence at all! The document itself represents an enormous act of treason against the king, and the men who signed could have been executed just for putting their name on it.
All of this has been brought to mind not so much by the lead-up to America's birthday, but rather, by the controversy over the narrowly-defeated amendement proposal which would have banned flag-burning.
I'm not the first to point out that it is absurd to be arguing about flag-burning while there is a very real and persistant threat from terrorists here and abroad--not to mention that little brouhaha in some far-off place called Iraq. Oh, and Iran and North Korea want nuclear power, and Mexico has a new leader (which could mean huge implications for that pesky little debate about illegal immigration). In short, there are too many bigger things to worry about.
I am certainly not immune to the emotion behind this controversy. I happen to see Old Glory as a symbol of what makes the United States great--just like many of the people who support a ban on flag-burning. Where my opinion veers off course, however, is that I also see flag-burning as a symbol of what makes our country great.
Before anyone gets offended by this statement, let me clarify here and now that I, personally, find the idea of burning a flag in protest unnecessary and even ugly. But the act itself is an expression of free speech and protest. What makes the United States of America a great country is our freedom to express our dissatisfaction with our government, knowing that we have that right--to speak out against those that lead us without fear of being thrown in jail, tortured, or killed.
I fear that since September 11th, our country's patriotism has veered towards the overzealous, "thou shalt not speak badly about our leaders" type that our founding fathers specifically wanted to avoid. The very act of airing their grievances against King George was a risk they took to help form a nation in which speaking out is not punishable by death, but instead a key to opening doors to rational debate and positive change.
Today we celebrate not only America's "birthday" but our freedom from tyranny and our right to tell our government that we might not agree with everything they are doing for us. Independence Day has come to mean hot dogs, ice cream and a great fireworks display to many Americans. I suggest we look back and see what this holiday is really about, and truly remember the sacrifices that have been made so that our country can be free.
I'll be thinking about it, and thanking John Hancock, John Adams and all the rest of those men for what they did, so that, 230 years later, I can blog my opinions without fear.
Now, enjoy your hot dogs, your potato salad and ice cream, and your fantastic fireworks display. Have a SAFE and happy celebration!
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