July 4, 1776 marked more than the transformation from colony to a new nation. A lot more. It marked the recognition of that long-ignored truth: A nation is its people – all its people. It is far greater than its king, its government, or those posturing themselves as its rulers. And to stamp this truth into reality, the newly declared nation of the United States established itself as a democracy – designed on that ancient Athenian and then-current Enlightenment belief of government by consent of the governed. No, not every person held a voice in that governance, but through our history, so many United States people keep on trying to make that voice more inclusive – and louder. And that is a spirit that truly sets my heart celebrating.
The marvelously insightful Mark Twain said, “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” So to mark this day of gratitude and celebration, allow me to share with you a few of the times that I have felt particularly patriotic and proud to call myself an American:
– 2020 – When I learned that my United States for more than the past two decades had been providing malaria medicines to over 50 million people all over the globe, most of whom were not U.S. citizens. Hey, that’s my nation.
– 1999 – In UlaanBaatar, Mongolia when I met Dave, a sergeant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who was building the second of two hospitals in that country. The U.S. Army Corps, Dave explained, maintains a constant mission to create roads, schools, emergency housing, medical facilities, along with providing agricultural aid and disaster cleanup. They do all this abroad for two reasons: first, it fosters good will, displaying what our nation really stands for, and secondly, they don’t want to compete with U.S. private industry in America.
– 2015 – In a visit to Philadelphia, when I learned that the Continental Congress, upon reading Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, vetoed the change of Alexander Hamilton. The enlightened Jefferson had penned that our inalienable rights included “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Hamilton, ever the cash-counting banker, had wanted to change it to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Property.” Our nation’s founders envisioned goals beyond the accumulation of wealth.
– 1964 – When I read in the paper that the amazingly able legislator and leader Lyndon B. Johnson had pushed through the passage of the Civil Rights Act, flinging wide the doors of the American Dream and justice to so many who had been denied rights before.
– Every June – when I attend school graduation ceremonies and realize that my nation – the United States of America – from its very outset so ardently realized the value of an educated citizenry that they mandated formal education as a right for all, not a privilege.
Do you, my friend, have any special moments of patriotic pride that you recall? If so, I’d love to hear and share them.
Happy Independence Day,
– Bart Jackson
