This past week, our country celebrated its birthday. In light of that, NPR decided to tweet every word of the document that started it all: The Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, it was not received well by everyone. News reports announced dissent from a specific group of people. Namely, those who favor Trump. Why was this? Why, on the day we celebrate our freedom, would anyone oppose the document that declared our rights and put a line in the sand?

The thing is, this special document was not just a statement concerning the rights of citizens. Jefferson wrote out a detailed list of the offenses George III was guilty of committing, presenting them as proof of his tyranny and pointing to them as adequate reasons for a separation from his government. There is a constant repetition of “He…” followed by the unforgivable act in question. For those in 2017 America who have either never read the Declaration or who haven’t looked at it in quite some time, it would be easy to misconstrue any tweets with these lines as references, not to a long-dead English king, but to our current president.

Hence the backlash of voices who were angered by NPR’s tweets.

Is this understandable? Maybe. But it’s also sad that our founding document has become so unfamiliar. It’s as though it has become that very distant, faint memory not often thought about, transformed into something rather like a colloquialism that is used liberally but whose origins are not widely remembered any longer. If the origin's memory has begun to fade, likewise the meaning to be found in it has begun to fade.

So, let’s start remembering. If you can find the time, in between your summer classes or work, or enjoying the warm July sun, take a quick look at the Declaration again. If everyone would do that every so often, America will remain the sanctuary of freedom it was meant to be. If we forget the reasons for the formation of our government, we are lost.

The anger that arose as a response to these tweets is also a concern. Statements concerning our right to take power away from anyone who abuses the authority they’ve been given shouldn’t be a threat to anyone who truly values the freedom this country was founded on. They shouldn’t be a threat, that is, to anyone but the abusive authority in question. While we retain the right to grant authority or take it away as we see fit, the power truly resides with the people. That is what the Declaration, and America’s birthday, was all about.