It's Hard For Me To Celebrate The 4th of July With Trump As President
"Let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them." — Thomas Jefferson
Fourth of July is more than just wearing red, white, and blue, lighting up the sky with fireworks, and catering the traditional hamburger or hotdogs (with a side of beer) at your neighborhood block party. It is the day the Declaration of Independence was finalized by the Continental Congress, which allowed the States to separate from Great Britain.
For the past three years, it has been hard to celebrate Independence Day knowing Donald Trump is the president. He is against everything this country was founded on and bears uncanny resemblances to what the Declaration of Independence calls into question, the king and his governing body.
The Declaration of Independence famously stated:
"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."
To summarize into simpler terms, the Declaration of Independence believed that all people are equal to each other and are granted certain rights by their Creator -life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness- which the government should not take away.
Like King George III and his governing body, we the people have tolerated the abuse of power from Donald Trump (who I refuse to call my president) and his administration long enough and it is time for a change. This country was founded on freedom, equality, and immigrants. You cannot simply deny the historical fact that those who landed in Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement, were immigrants. We need to remember as a nation that Native Americans should be rightfully credited as the indigenous group in the States and those who followed after to settle are immigrants.
For Donald Trump to be elected as President and use his power of authority to deny immigrants the same basic rights our Declaration of Independence called for should be labeled for what it truly is, treason. Donald Trump has irresponsibly created negative rhetoric surrounding immigrants in the United States that has caused fear among several communities nationwide; he has separated families which has caused an emotional and mental trauma that will last a lifetime; he has allowed children to be detained in inhumane facilities where the conditions are resulting in multiple deaths.
I ask that this fourth of July, while we celebrate our stance against King George III and his governing body for the right to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We remember to always fight for these rights for everyone. Immigrants have the right to a life with basic needs; food, shelter, and good health. Immigrants have the right to liberty; freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom. Immigrants have the right to pursue happiness; to build your own life, to live your dreams, and to have the chance to achieve what makes you happy.
