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 4th, 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
240th BIRTHDAY
TO
UNITED
STATES of AMERICA
