Insights
The meaning of 4th of July for American colonies
Independence Day is the greatest day in the American calendar . It is the day the English colonies declared their independence from King George and their fellow Englishmen . What does this mean in 2022 when you live in an American colony ? What is the meaning of the Fourth of July to unincorporated territories today ?
There are examples from history to choose from on examining the meaning of this national holiday . The most stirring was given by Frederick Douglass , the escaped slave who became the conscience of America in the 19th century . In 1852 , Douglass ’ searing oration on the topic “ What to the Slave is the Fourth of July ” still stirs the soul .
He refused to speak on July 4 . The following day , he boldly answered his own question this way : “ I answer a day that reveals to him , more than all the other days in the year , the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim . To him , your celebration is a sham ; your boasted liberty , an unholy license , your national greatness , swelling vanity …”
While slavery is no longer with us and it took a great war and a subsequent struggle of 100 years in length to deal with segregation , we are closer to ending racial injustice than in Douglass ’ time . But it has not ended . At this point , the slaves and their descendants are trying to perfect the American promise made in 1776 even though it obviously did not include them . To the Founding Fathers , slavery was a matter to compromise over and did not elicit great moral outrage or courage .
A few years earlier , the other gaping hole in the original American fabric was dealt with by Elizabeth Stanton and her supporters at the first women ’ s
By Robert A Underwood
rights convention . In Seneca Falls , NY , attendees signed a document titled the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments , which corrected the 1776 document by holding these truths that “ all men and women ” are created equal .
It further asserted that women had a right to be as free as men . Women should be represented in the government which they are taxed to support . Furthermore , disgraceful laws which “ give men the right to chastise and imprison his wife , take the wages that she earns , the property which she inherits , and , in the case of separation , the children of her love ” have to be eliminated .
Stanton characterized all of this as a form of government “ without the consent of the governed .”
Subsequent activists and feminists have attempted to perfect the American democracy through struggle and protest , changing the very nature of American culture . Like slaves , there were no women at the Continental Congress . There were no Founding Mothers in 1776 , but they did come later .
They didn ’ t just perfect the national project , they rescued it .
The other group not included in the Declaration of Independence was the native Americans . Although they were not part of the body politic as constructed by the Founding Fathers , they couldn ’ t be entirely ignored . They are included in the list of grievances that accompany the Declaration . The last of 27 grievances against King George III states “ he has excited domestic insurrections against us , and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers , the merciless Indian savages whose known rule of warfare , is an undistinguished destruction of all ages , sexes and conditions .”
Guahan has a major role in the exercise of that influence . We are the conduit for the exercise of American potential in military strength . At the same time , we sit on the sideline in discussions of sovereignty , selfdetermination and the full implementation of the democratic creed .
The domestic insurrections refer to slave revolts and the merciless savages refer to the resistance of the natives to the constant incursions of white settlers along the Appalachian “ frontier ” of the time . These merciless Indians didn ’ t become citizens of the United States until 1924 . If perfecting the union meant including the original inhabitants , it took a record of genocide , forced marches to Oklahoma , the institution of reservations and open warfare to consider them part of the body politic .
Examining the exact historical record does not tarnish the enduring , self-evident truths as we understand them today . Of course , the understanding of the Founding Fathers was far different . They fully understood the majestic nature of the principles they were advancing . They just didn ’ t believe that they applied to everyone . Succeeding generations have been trying to ensure their broader application .
While there are good-faith efforts to redress that matter with respect to the above groups , the unincorporated territories just sit outside the margins of the application of self-evident truths . The Declaration holds out the promise of “ self-evident ” equality along with “ unalienable rights ” granted by the creator . Among these rights are life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness . These rights come by virtue of being born . They don ’ t have to be earned and they cannot be taken away . At least that is the theory .
Furthermore , the Declaration asserts that the protection and enjoyment of these rights are made possible through governments . What kind of governments ? Democracies , where elected representatives make laws and elected executives , enforce them . These governments derive their power not from above , but from below . They provide the “ consent of the governed ” which legitimizes their actions .
This is the core American creed . Anything less is not just undemocratic , it is tyrannical . A right that is unalienable is a right you don ’ t have to earn . You don ’ t have to pass a test ; you don ’ t have to measure up or grow up . You get it by being born under the flag . The government that is instituted to ensure these rights must be based on a system of democracy .
We do not live in a system in which we provide the consent of the governed . It is not enough to say that the Founding Fathers did not know about us and that the Supreme Court which gave us the Insular Cases were racists . We will just have to continue to be colonies until it self-corrects in some fashion . Congress holds plenary power over nearly every dimension of our existence . We cannot give consent to their decisions because we do not participate . In the meantime , we will just have to be satisfied with
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