The 4th: Complexity amidst the celebrations
by Mata H

Independence Day, yes I celebrate it. Freedom from tyranny is always worth fireworks and prayers of thanks. But the more I think about it, the more complex this day becomes. I wish it were just fireworks and hot dogs and the town brass band playing march tunes in the park gazebo.

It is worthy of note that although white Americans claimed the right to not be held by an abusive master, America still held slaves for almost 100 years after the Declaration of Independence.

So some Americans claimed freedom. Others could not. In 1841 Frederick Douglas was asked to speak in Rochester, New York on Independence Day. In what is only part of one of the most staggeringly powerful Abolishionist speeches he said,

Fellow citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! Whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, today, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, "may my right hand cleave to the roof of my mouth"! To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world.

So let us at least take a moment to remember that freedom didn't mean freedom to everyone that day.

And the establishment of nationhood was the keening of the death knell for Native Americans.

I love my country. I love it with my whole heart. And I want to see it clearly. I want us to find what we can and should morally correct, and to correct it. That is part of being an American.

I tend to think of independence as a growing phase, a place in the process of maturing, not the end-game.

Spiritually, when I really get down to it, I'd love to have Independence Day on July 4th, and Interdependence Day on July 5th. Yes, we can now stand alone. We are not a nation of chess pieces moved around by distant players who own us in other countries. We are independent in that sense, fiercely and justifiably so.

But we are also part of a family of global nations, connected by a common earth, common air, common water, common ozone, common flesh and blood. The lines on the maps are useful tools, but they are arbitrary, man-made. They are not real.

Yes, we finalized the Declaration of Independence on this day. And we did so with noble intent. It is worth reading this section of the
Declaration of Independence, especially in this election year. Let us always remind ourselves of the best part of the intent of those who made us a 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.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Submitted by Mata H (view blog) on Mon, 07/02/2007 - 17:28

Comments

 

Fiesta

Mata, what a great post! In my tiny New Mexican town, we have a week-long Fiesta over the 4th of July week. This tradition spans many many decades, and was a way to celebrate everyone's heritage, as my town is 83 percent Latino and six percent Native American. Sure, we have fireworks, but it's under the Fiesta banner. It's wonderful to see the traditional dancing on the plaza, and to eat Navajo fry bread, and yeah, to watch some of the kids wave the red, white, and blue, too.

What a beautiful country we have, with so much potential if only we knew how to be more inclusive.

Birdie
Birdie's BlogHer Blog
La Pajaro

Submitted by Birdie Jaworski on Mon, 07/02/2007 - 15:37
 

And there is...

that other group so long denied rights. So it wasn't on 4 July, it came 15 days later.


The words of Elizabeth Cady Stanton

24 years after Elizabeth's speech, Victoria Woodhull ran for president. And her effort landed her in jail,where she remained on election day.

nelle

Submitted by nelle2nelle on Mon, 07/02/2007 - 17:29
 

well, there is a difference

Hi Nelle --

I think there is a big difference between not being enfranchised and being owned and enslaved. I was adressing the fact that no slave was made independent on July 4th, no slave was made free -- in the way that Independence Day made pretty much everyone else "free". Women certainly were free, even if we were part of a vast group of people who could legitimately claim that we were unequal legally to the ruling group.

~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 06:46
 

There is a difference, but

There is a difference, but it does not preclude the fact this is also a legitimate historical issue.

We can certainly imagine being enslaved for an entire life with no chance of freedom, it's simply horrific.

Yet that does not mean living an entire life with no right to vote, to require your husband's permission to do various things, that women were routinely denied access to higher education, with it deemed hazardous to our health - is not without issues that should be discussed - or remembered.

I realise you are calling attention to but one historical issue, as opposed to a comprehensive examination of all the wrongs over that time, but since it is of great interest to me, added it in - not as rebuttal or comment that it was ignored, but rather... to add to and expand the discussion.

nelle

Submitted by nelle2nelle on Wed, 07/04/2007 - 04:59
 

Gotcha, Nelle

Thanks for the explanation, Nelle.

One thing I have seen over time here and elsewhere (and I am NOT referring to you or what you said) is that anything to do with a racial issue is a difficult topic, and often when it is raised, people attempt to dilute it rather than discuss it -- often with lots of "but what about this group..or that group" kind of discussions. I was attempting to try to hold the focus for a while, when it has been so overlooked over time. I have been a feminist as long as I can remember, and I agree that we have issues worthy of discussion, too. It's all about where and when, so everyone gets enough focus at the right time.

~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Wed, 07/04/2007 - 05:54
 

Whites not held by abusive

Whites not held by abusive masters?? What about Irish indentured servants? How come no one ever talks about this?

my blogs:

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Submitted by writergal8 on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 04:59
 

feel free

Please, talk about it if you'd like. That is what this space is for.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 06:39
 

This is what I recall from

This is what I recall from my US History class (keep in mind that I'm Canadian and went to high school in Toronto, so I wasn't immersed in it like kids who grew up in the US). Early Irish immigrants were often paid to come. They worked as indentured servants for their non-Irish employers to pay off the debt from their travels and were treated like dirt. Even after their contract was up, they often had trouble finding employment because many businesses were not hiring people of Irish descent (happened in Canada too). This seems to be a little-known fact.

my blogs:

Writing Blog (for updates on my writing and media plugs about my book)

Shorty Stories (a blog for petite activism)

Submitted by writergal8 on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 07:39
 

immigrants

The shameful treatment of immigrants is cause for many volumes of writing. But I'll bet there were a lot of slaves who wished they had a "contract" that could be "up" some day. Yes, immigrants had it rough -- very rough -- as did my Polish grandparents when they came over -- but slaves didn't emigrate and were not here by choice, so it really isn't an apples to apples comparison.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 08:05
 

Freedom

Your post touched many chords with me. I just came back from the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, which is located in the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther Kind Jr was assassinated. It is an amazing museum.

I always feel a deep sense of dissatisfaction when we talk about the history of freedom and democracy in the US for the very reasons you mention and more. I agree with Nelle2Nelle. It's not just the deep wound of slavery and the insane legacy of racism in the US that makes me cringe on the 4th. It is also the anti-everyone-except-white-Protestant-Christian-males that causes me to roll my eyes.

Sure, the US is much freer for most people than other nations. But when I think about the lofty words of the Declaration of Independence, I wonder if any people can ever overcome our shortfalls and failures to put theory into practice. The history of the US is wrapped up in bigotry and prejudice, although I am also not sure what place isn't or where else I could live, so I'll have a piece of cake on the 4th and watch fireworks and hope for the future.

Suzanne, BlogHer Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS)& Other Rants

Submitted by Suzanne Reisman on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 07:27
 

Light up those fireworks!

The United States of America is still one of the most free places in the world. Were our founding fathers perfect? By no means. Did we still have a long way to go on the original July 4, 1776? Yes.

The point is that we started on the path to becoming a great democracy. It has taken us a while, and there have been bumps along the way, but I am proud to cheer for this day.

The day is to celebrate the victories, not bemoan all our failures. We spend every other day of the year doing that.

Wheat Among Tares

Submitted by Terri987 on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 07:49
 

folks, folks

I absolutely agree that we should celebrate. I love it here. Wouldn't move to another country.

But I am all for un-whitewashing history when we can. I don't expect my country to be perfect, I just want it to be honest. Independence Day wasn't a victory for everyone. I found Frederick Douglas's speech deeply moving, profoundly heartfelt and one among many important mementos of July 4th.
The more we can listen to the voices of those who suffer, and relieve the causes of that suffering, the better Americans we can become, and the more we have that everyone can celebrate.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 08:01
 

But you're making it sound

But you're making it sound like all minorities suffer. Many minorities also live comfortable, middle class backgrounds. Many don't really have any connection to slavery (because they're immigrants from Africa) or to the anti-Chinese legislation (because they came in the 60s), yet, the media make it sound like they should have some connection. Last year, the Canadian government decided to give some money to widows and descendants of Chinese immigrants who were affected by the head tax (money they had to pay to come to Canada...equivilant to 2 years pay in China in the early 1900s) and the media (at first, anyway) made it sound like it affected all Chinese Canadians (it's a very, very small population. Most Chinese Canadians came after the 1960s, when immigration opened up). Multicultural policy, un-white-washing policies and so forth, seem to be the work of liberal white people who feel guilty of the past. At least this is my opinion.

my blogs:

Writing Blog (for updates on my writing and media plugs about my book)

Shorty Stories (a blog for petite activism)

Submitted by writergal8 on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 12:37
 

yep -- you got me

True enough -- I am a liberal white person. You got me! :-) I confess. I value multiculturalism, and believe it to be at the core of what America is all about. Most Americans are from somewhere other than here, if you look back far enough. I try to un-whitewash when I can because I value the truth and its power to heal. I believe with my whole heart that this is a great country, and that our Constitution obligates me to support "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" for all, because we are all created equal.

But my 4th of July post was not about immigration. (Not that immigration isn't a fine topic in its own right.) In the event I have written it without the needful clarity before, it was at least trying to be about three things:

1. That what we casually assume was Independence Day for everyone here, wasn't. The moving speech by Frederick Douglas pretty much says it. It would feel immoral to me to not acknowledge this historical fact.

2. That we are not only independent, but should be interdependent in this global village of ours, because we are all connected. Boundaries are man-made inventions. The spirit of who we are should help us understand that.

3. That we should always look to the best part of the intent of our founders - especially in an election year -- as a moral compass, one among many.

Let's keep the lines of dialog open so we can learn from each other -- even if there are stumbles along the way. If we keep at it long enough, and with enough good will, we'll end up all understanding each other.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Tue, 07/03/2007 - 15:08
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