JULY 4th – Independence Day

You might also know it as the Fourth of July, July Fourth, the Fourth or simply as Day of Independence. We celebrate this day with hotdogs, hamburgers, beer, wine, parades, baseball, concerts, picnics and BBQ’s together with friends, family and often total strangers. We sprinkle it all with fireworks, patriotism, millions of flags and balloons in red, white and blue. But why do we do we party like that? Do you really know the true story or are you like the average person having just somewhat of an idea why we are doing it? For starters, it’s not just a birthday party, but it’s a celebration of why this is the United States of America, in this case 240 years later.

Well, it started with a lot of grumbling by the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies. Being governed and ruled by the British was beginning to wear off, so the ‘Americans’ started to turn into patriots. This political upheaval (the American Revolution) began around 1765 when members of the American Colonial society openly started to reject the authority of the British Parliament, as they were taxing the colonies without the colonies having any representation in the King’s government; I’d say that’s a fair reaction and I would have gotten mad as well.

The protests escalated further as time went by, with one of the more famous incidents known as the Boston Tea-Party (I trust that title was laced with a bit of sarcasm, as it was not a party at all…) It took place in 1773, during which Patriots destroyed a consignment of taxed tea (by throwing it all into the harbor) from the Parliament-controlled and favored East India Company. That’s why the waters in Boston Harbor still, even after all these years, have a slight taste of Earl Grey – true story.

The British responded by imposing punitive laws even more so on the colony of Massachusetts in 1774. That caused the other twelve colonies to rally around their pals from Mass (what are friends for?) so in late 1774 the Patriots set up their own alternate government to better coordinate their resistance efforts against Great Britain; other colonists, known as ‘Loyalists’ preferred to remain aligned with the British Crown.

At this point, Patriots in each of the thirteen colonies formed Provincial Congresses, taking over power from the old colonial governments and suppressed Loyalism. These new colonial governments cooperated by combining effort and interest, also establishing the Continental Army and applied its leadership to a certain General George Washington.

Tensions escalated to the outbreak of fighting between Patriot militia and British regulars in April of 1775. Those conflicts then evolved into a much wider war, during which the Patriots were later on joined by French, Spanish, and Dutch allies. They all fought the British and the Loyalists in what became known as the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783).

Claiming King George III's rule to be ‘tyrannical’ and infringing the colonists' ‘rights as Englishmen’, the Continental Congress declared the colonies free and independent states July of 1776. The Patriot leadership professed the political philosophies of liberalism and republicanism. Monarchy and aristocracy was rejected and it was proclaimed that all men (women and small children?) are created equal. Congress rejected British proposals (nice try…) requiring allegiance to the monarchy and abandonment of independence – ‘no way Jose’, was the answer (if it wasn’t, it should have been – because it sounds really cool)...

The British, after much fighting finally retreated to their homeland and July 4^th, 1776 was to be commemorated and celebrated as the Day of Independence and the birthday of the United States of America – still standing tall, 240 years later.

I’m in the middle of the second row to the left

When celebrating 200 years, back in 1976, I was living in Marina Del Rey (on the coast, west of Los Angeles). I had immigrated to the USA the year before. I was attending a big party (me being the proverbial PartyAnimal – not) when suddenly a female person grabbed my hand and dragged me outside. ‘You won’t believe this’ she said. I thought of something else, but as we got outside I realized that was not what she meant.

I remember the sky being dark blue; it was around getting dark time and the sounds of fireworks were very loud and very exciting. We walked down to the marina’s little beach area and settled in the sand. People around us had picnics and blankets and wine and beer and kids and BBQ’s and coolers. We were soon handed glasses of wine by strangers and the fireworks got even more intense. And that was the very time when I realized that immigrating to the USA had been a superb choice – and this was the reason why.

Looking at the many faces around me, lit up by the colorful explosions in the sky and the wonderful wide smiles, I saw why it was a big day to celebrate. The many colors of the many different people, the wonderful variety of races, the diversity being so fantastic and exciting – something I had never realized; I had been perfectly ignorant.

I was initially in California because of the lack of sun in Denmark. But now I fully acknowledged that it had been for this very reason, these people, coming together in this great nation, all for the same reasons – and many of those reasons written in the Constitution so many years ago.

Sure we have things we still need to work on, stuff to improve (a real presidential candidate for the Republican Party – not one that fully embarrass this great country around the globe…) But considering all the great stuff we are surrounded by, people, nature and the list is so long, having our annual birthday party on July Fourth, is the most wonderful reminder as to how lucky and fortunate we really are – so party on, please.

HAPPY 240^th BIRTHDAY

TO

UNITED STATES of AMERICA