In the United States, we celebrate the Fourth of July. People are often decked out with red, white and blue, looking patriotic. Parties and different festivities happen in our country because of the date. Why do we celebrate though? Everyone has lost the true meaning of Independence Day. The 13 colonies claimed their independence from England. A new nation was born and celebrated, The United States of America. The significant day that stands out is July 4, 1776; this day is when the Declaration of Independence was signed.
This historical document is in Washington D.C; John Adams, Ben Franklin and Robert Livingston, were just some of the signers. This document is in cursive writing today and some children may not be able to read it, because of not knowing how to read cursive handwriting. “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.”
Freedom wasn’t just given in our country, but earned. Citizens of the United States take for granted everything their nation endured. Think about all the wars and history of our country; your grandparents, even parents and you experienced. Personally, I reflect upon World War II, a war in which my grandfather fought. He was an air traffic controller in the Bahamas and said it was a brutal war. Then, imagine living through the Great Depression; starvation, diseases, no jobs and discrimination. The majority of people were getting laid off and didn’t have food on the table. It was the minorities that just barely survived through these times.
Everything was discriminated in the early 1900’s. People were judged everyday; it was a scary world to live in. It mattered what color you were, if you were a man or woman and separated the strong from the weak. Men were expected to go off to war and work; women were supposed to be the house wives. Segregation was huge. Even so, blacks and whites were publically segregated. For example, the bare necessary of water to quench the soul of any human being became a luxury as blacks were not allowed to drink from the same source of water that occupied the whites’ mouths. Thank heavens for two remarkable figure heads, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, who augmented the termination of segregation.
Have you ever inspected our American Flag? Ever curious about the significance of the Flag? The stripes symbolize the 13 new colonies and the stars represent the 50 states within our union. The red and blue color represent the UK and the United States. Betsy Ross, a rebel disowned by the Quakers, sewed the flag.
Washington wanted this flag to symbolize our country and it’s vigiliance. "Let the 13 stars in a circle stand as a new constellation in the heavens." (George Washington 1776).
Something that stands out to me is 9/11. I can remember the day like it was yesterday. I was in kindergarten and sitting in the classroom; everyone was frantic. Something terrible had just happened in New York City and the teacher did not know how to tell us students. My parents picked me up, and I asked them what had just happened. My parents said, “Two planes just crashed into the World Trade Center, in New York City.” They weren’t scared to tell me the truth, but tears rolled down my face and I couldn’t comprehend how someone could take away innocent lives. I thought about all the families and how they must have felt.
Thus, Fourth of July is a day to be celebrated. Wear your red, white and blue proudly. Have fun with all your family and loved ones. But remember how we as a nation became free. People lost their lives and gave up so much personal freedom for our country.
