July 4th celebrates an idea. I love that. No battle was fought or lost and, aside from a possible quill sharpening incident, no blood was shed. A group of men got together and set down principles they felt were worth standing for. And, on the 4th, they signed their work and affirmed an idea.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
I think that’s the coolest thing ever. A day set aside to celebrate an idea we believe in. We became, that day, the world’s great experiment. If we can pull this thing off, if we can live by this ideal, there’s hope for humanity.
Despite our belief and all the backyard barbecue, the goal we signed that day is yet to be attained. We have made a lot of progress. Women, who were not in the room that day, now have the vote and a lot more rights, though equality? Well, ask a woman. Black Americans are no longer slaves and are moving toward a greater and more equal participation in our society.
There is progress and change. That’s where the hope part comes in and is what I think this grand experiment is about. Keeping things the way they were is not what we celebrate on July 4th.
I hope one day, that I might have equality and the same rights as all Americans. I hope one day to be a citizen of this country. Not just in words, I am that, but in deeds and in fact.
There’s the hope and the power of words. Until then I can:
Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free.
Eric Shaw Quinn 