Independence Day
An ongoing struggle for democracy
There is a narrative of the United States that is so simplistic, jingoistic, and sanitized of tragedy that it lives more in the realm of fairy tales than history.
It is one of a providential birth and a singular march of progress. It may allow for mention of the sins of slavery and other injustices too great to be overlooked entirely. Still, it prunes most of the tangled branches of our heritage that have defined the messy and often woeful struggles for the soul of this nation.
Not only does this approach do a great disservice to our past, but it also plagues our present and impedes a better future by failing to confront the systemic forces that continue to harm our nation today. And it robs those currently fighting for a more just, democratic, and equitable America from appreciating the full scope of what like-minded movements in previous eras were able to accomplish.
I suspect all of us have experienced some version of this story of America. It is ubiquitous. It can be measured in what is celebrated — like the hagiography of Mt. Rushmore — and stories long omitted — like the massacre of Black residents in the prosperous Tulsa neighborhood of Greenwood.
We are destined to become the country we tell ourselves we are. It is no coincidence that the cynical political and judicial actors of today who are gleefully paving a road towards autocracy are also whitewashing our past.
Sadly, the rhetoric that infuses both MAGA rallies and Supreme Court decisions is predicated on a story of this nation unmoored from the truth. As we celebrate Independence Day, it is vital that we don’t forsake an honest accounting of what that day meant and what has followed. To confront complexities and even calamities does not mean we love this nation less. Rather, we honor the sacrifices it has taken to have the reality of America more aligned with the soaring rhetoric of our founding.
I re-read the Declaration of Independence this morning and share here its famous opening lines and what immediately follows.
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.
It is striking to confront this call for a new government by those who chafed at the tyranny of an absolute monarch in light of where we are today. We have just seen the Supreme Court place the president above the law, like a king. It is all in service to Trump and his allies, who have brazenly broadcast their intentions for vindictiveness and far-right extremism in the chilling Project 2025 framework.
I am inspired by the words of the past, even as I recognize the limitations of those who wrote them. We are once again staring down tyranny, and we will have to rally to defeat it in the upcoming election. It is precarious but doable. And should we succeed, we will need to alter our government — from the filibuster to racial gerrymandering to the makeup and size of the Supreme Court — in ways that will better reflect “the consent of the governed.”
It is our duty to stay engaged and determined. We should not let those who would wreck our democracy claim the mantle of patriot. As I wrote with Dan Rather in What Unites Us:
It is important not to confuse “patriotism” with “nationalism.”...nationalism is a monologue in which you place your country in a position of moral and cultural supremacy over others. Patriotism, while deeply personal, is a dialogue with your fellow citizens and a larger world about not only what you love about your country but also how it can be improved. Unchecked nationalism leads to conflict and war. Unbridled patriotism can lead to the betterment of society. Patriotism is rooted in humility. Nationalism is rooted in arrogance.
A toxic arrogance is certainly ascendant. But, like with the British nearly a quarter millennia ago, it can be called out and ultimately defeated. And we the people can continue our struggle towards a more perfect union.
A final note: when I told my daughter I was writing about Independence Day, she said “Oh, that’s revolutionary.”
I've been sad this Fourth . First time I felt this way and I'm 71 . At one point I cried . Democracy is definitely being challenged . My family loves this holiday , but we know that if this election goes a certain way we could lose it . Our freedom will be at stake.
Happy 4th everyone and God Bless America !
This is one reason I'm uncomfortable flying the American flag at our home. I fear it represents nationalistic, rather than patriotic, sentiment and intention. I've always felt this way. This isn't to say I'm not grateful to be an American citizen; I am. But the only flag we fly is of a photograph of Planet Earth in a sea of blue.