How do we guard and keep liberty? We must pass on our history to our posterity through primary source documents. What did historical figures actually say? What did they actually do? Why did they do it? If you only get your knowledge of history from what other people tell you in books and media, you accept their opinion about history, not the facts from those who lived history. Facts come from what historical figures actually said, the context in which they said it, and the historical times in which they lived. It does not come from your feelings or anyone else’s biases about what people said or the customs of their time.
We celebrate better when we know why we’re celebrating. If you care more about being accepted in present-day culture than you do about our forefathers’ character, motives, and actions, you probably will not celebrate. You may even hate our history and want to revise it to be something it never was intended to be.
As Independence Day approaches, how are you preparing to celebrate? My younger family members selected some legal fireworks for our party. I’m thinking about the menu. Traditional American fare on this day sounds great right about now, especially since we are gathering together again. The little ones want real flags to hold this year and decorate their bikes. The older ones will hang the large flag outside.
My holiday prep is not complete without reflecting on the meaning of our American independence. The culture may be confused about whether or not to celebrate the importance of July 4, 1776, but I am not.
Every time I read stories of the founding from primary sources, I’m inspired. None of those people were perfect, but neither are we. They sacrificed so much for the cause of freedom. And yes. The Founders knew slavery was wrong. They signed a document saying that ALL men are created equal. They didn’t erase those words. Instead, they left them in there. The Founders knew that they would have to admit and confess that they must regard every person as equal, regardless of race, color, nationality, or creed. Not easy for a bunch of sinners. History shows their attempts, their arguments, flaws, and failings. Succeeding generations fought, bled, and died for equality. It’s still a noble goal worth fighting for.
Meanwhile, some would slowly and methodically take our liberty from us. Each generation has to guard it to keep it.
Are we doing enough to guard our liberty?
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.🇺🇸
