By Neal Wooten
I love Independence Day. There’s nothing like grilled hotdogs, wiping sunblock out of your eyes, watching the parade, sitting in the lawn chairs, and watching the sky explode with brilliant colors. But is this really what our forefathers had in mind for this day? Yep. Turns out it is.
Here’s what John Adams wrote to his wife in 1776 concerning Independence Day: “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 shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”
I like the way this man thinks. The only problem was; he thought it would be on July 2nd when Congress actually voted to approve the Resolution of Independence, which legally separated the thirteen colonies from Great Britain. But Congress, being Congress, decided to draft another statement, one that explained the resolution that had already been written and approved. That statement, known as the Declaration of Independence, was finalized on July 4th.
Good thing we weren’t trying to pull this off with today’s Congress. After the statement to explain the statement regarding the original statement was stated, Congress would draft another statement to simplify the statement explaining the stated law, which would, of course, make the statement harder to understand, hence sending them to the Supreme Court, where the statements would be followed by dissenting statements, then to the president where signing statements would be added to the statements, then back to Congress as both sides of the aisle wrangled over the finer points of the statements, each accusing the other side of stonewalling, and finally all statements would have been passed on November the 13th.
But thank goodness 246 years ago, they were able to pull it off in only two days. So get out there and celebrate. Go to the lake, the parades, the cookouts, the reunions, and the malls. Let’s celebrate the greatest country in the world by getting together in 100-degree weather, getting sunburned, eating our scorched burgers, drinking our sweet tea or cold beer, and treating everyone like family.
Let’s take nothing for granted and pay tribute to those brave souls in 1776 who stood up against tyranny and to every brave American soldier who has done it since that time. I’m not sure if we celebrate Easter, Christmas, or Bastille Day in the proper manner, but by golly, as Americans, we nailed this one.
Happy 4th everyone.
