A Different Way to Spend the 4th of July!

The 4th of July is here once again and, as usual, is accompanied by the fireworks shows, the bbq's, the parties and the days off from work. Like many of our holidays, the 4th has become much more about the activities we engage in than the meaning of the holiday. Ask most American's why we celebrate the 4th and they will tell you it's America's Birthday, or the day we won the war of independence, or even the day the US Constitution was made. None of these are, of course, correct. Rather, the 4th of July is the date listed on The Declaration of Independance. This is a holiday about THAT document and the independence it created.

What was the declaration you ask? Well, humorously put, it was an amazing Dear John letter to the most powerful man in the world: The King of England. More accurately put, it was one of the most audacious documents ever written and signed by 56 very brave men in their real names. This was a very clearly written letter which told the leader of the western world that we would no longer be accepting his rules, his acts, or his control and instead would be forming our own country with own values and rules.

The Chutzpah required to sign this document is astounding! These men were almost literally signing their own death warrants. There was no going back from this. There was no "We're sorry George" that would be accepted. War was the only possible result and yet, here we are almost 250 years later unable to recognize but a few of those names with most Americans unable to repeat even state a single sentence from the document.

When I went took constitutional law in law school, I remember thinking how incredibly ignorant I was of our history and our origin story. I went into Law School thinking I was a proud American and that I really knew what it was that these 56 men risked their lives for. Simply put, I was wrong. While it is beyond the scope of a post to discuss all of the nuances of the document, as I read though it this year (which I do every July 4th) one passage stuck out at me which I think we should try to recall for this holiday:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

These men, in our stead, pledged their loyalty to EACH OTHER! Not to their political parties, their cultural views, their race, their creed, their religion or even their fledgling country! They pledged loyalty to one another. This is what makes this such a unique country,. It was founded on the idea that we need one another to survive and that only by working together would we truly be free.

On our money is a 13-letter motto mirroring the 13 original colonies: E Plurbus Unum. It means literally, Out of Many, One. Put differently, out of a diverse group of people from different origins, social standings, beliefs and viewpoints we can achieve a single, united people who will truly be free.

Sometimes, it seems that we have forgotten this. Our foundations are not in the creation of a government or rooted in the divisions between us. Rather our nation is rooted in the notion that by working together we can achieve the greatest country in the world. And, because of the sacrifices of millions of brave men and women, we have achieved that country.

Sadly, the opposite of this is also true. From one, we can become many. If we allow ourselves to be divided, we can also destroy this great country.

Perhaps, just for a change, this 4th of July we should all turn off our preferred news sources, climb out of our thought bubbles, stop looking for difference and follow the lead of the 56 signers of this amazing declaration! Look for the similarities rather than the difference and you will certainly find them. E Plurbus Unum! Out of Many, One!