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The Fourth of July is America’s birthday — the anniversary of our independence as a nation in 1776. To celebrate, the Harvard Club is sponsoring a traditional Fourth of July program in Anchorage starting with bagpipes played by Ian White. You will hear the famous words of the Declaration of Independence. Everyone is invited, rain or shine, to the Delaney Park Strip just east of the flagpole starting at 1 p.m. July 4.
For 247 years, it has been a tradition in communities across the country to read the Declaration of Independence and to hear again the statement that shaped our nation: “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.”
When Thomas Jefferson wrote this resounding statement, our country bore little resemblance to today’s nation. For most people, life in 1776 meant the hard labor and uncertainties of farming or fishing. Cities were often so disease-ridden that they were partially deserted in the hot summer months. The vast lands to the west were unknown. The colonies hungered for the strength and reinforcement of new immigration.
It is difficult to adequately appreciate the courage of the men who joined together to sign the Declaration. By doing so, they were declaring war on the strongest nation in the world. If England had won the Revolutionary War, the signers of the Declaration would have been hanged for treason. In a world that was ruled by kings and emperors, our founding fathers were proposing government by and for the people - a system that was radically different from the rest of the world.
They were inspired by knowing that they were creating a better life for their successors. In describing the debate that preceded the vote to sign, John Adams wrote to a friend: “Measures in which the lives and liberties of millions, born and unborn are most essentially interested, are now before us. We are in the very midst of a revolution, the most complete, unexpected, and remarkable of any in the history of the world.”
As we now know, the bravery and foresight of our founding fathers were amply rewarded. America won the War of Independence in 1783, and, over time, democratic government released the human energy and creativity that transformed our country from a scattered group of settlements along the East Coast to a powerful nation extending “from sea to shining sea”.
Adhering to our Pledge of Allegiance to a nation “with liberty and justice for all” has always required vigilance to defend against the forces in human nature that could overwhelm this noble goal.
Towards the end of the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton decried the self-interest of his fellow politicians: “The inquiry constantly is what will please, not what will benefit the people.” Fortunately, America was blessed by leaders, including Hamilton, who combined the vision, resolve, persistence — and ability to compromise — that was needed to build our enduring governmental foundation, the U.S. Constitution.
The greatest test of our national values was during the Civil War when President Lincoln led the struggle to maintain our unity as one nation and abolish the evil of slavery.
But today our nation is facing the insidious danger of a widening division between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” Our overall economic health is strong, yet the wealthiest 1% of households hold between 35 and 40% of the national wealth. Housing costs have increased, and people working at minimum wage jobs find they cannot afford to rent an apartment and feed their families. These circumstances generate a simmering resentment that can become contagious and dangerous. Revolutions are born and nations fall because of such circumstances. As President Eisenhower once warned, “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”
The Washington Post recently stated, “The next 18 months could further undermine confidence in democracy and the rule of law as the former president seeks a return to the White House while defending himself against federal and state criminal charges.”
Yet, however imperfectly, our nation has been sustained over time because its people have understood that in a democracy the government is their responsibility, and, knowing this, they have striven to uphold the equality that is an essential component of lasting freedom. So, come to the flagpole at 1 p.m. July 4th, and let the great words of the Declaration of Independence ring in your ears.
Janet McCabe and her husband, David, came to Alaska in 1964. She is a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a member of Alaska Common Ground and Commonwealth North.
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