Happy Fourth Of July America - Why We Celebrate

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FREEDOM We might think freedom was born on the battlefield. We poured out our blood, but it wasn’t our blood, it was the blood of the people who fought for the freedom we take for granted today. We don’t even remember why it was so necessary for us to have freedom as we take part in parades, have picnics, grill outside, and enjoy a paid day off from work. Thomas Paine once wrote “These are the times that try men’s souls.” There has never been a time in history that didn’t try men’s souls. In 1620 the Mayflower landed here with a shipload of Pilgrims who came to live in freedom from religious tyranny. When they bowed their heads in the sands of this new country the first thing they said was, “In the Name of God. Amen.” Then they dedicated themselves to the “advancement of the Christian Faith.” When it came to framing the Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States of America the first right considered to be the most important was the “Freedom of religion, speech, the press, and of assembly and petition.” It was important for the people who framed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America that everyone understand it was for religious freedom this country came to be. Fifty-two of the fifty-five men who signed the Declaration of Independence were active members in their churches. They believed in God and dedicated themselves to Him for their daily provisions. Today we only think of tyranny in light of the recent events that took place in our most recent history and the war we declared against tyranny when we were invaded on September 11, 2001. But it was against tyranny we fought during the Revolutionary War. The Declaration of Independence states, “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let the Facts be submitted to a candid world. “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary to the public good. “He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance... “He has refused to pass Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature... “He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records... “He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly... “He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for the exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without and the convulsions within. “He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for the purpose of obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither... “He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. “He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people... “He has kept amoung us, in times of peace, Standing Armies with the Consent of our legislatures. “He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. “He has combined with others to subject us to jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: “For quartering large bodies of armed troops amoung us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: “For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: “For imposing Taxes on us without Consent: “For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of the Trial by Jury: “For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences: “For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries:... “For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of Governments: “For suspending our own Legislature, and declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. “He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the Lives of our people.” For these and many more reasons we have declared our Independence from Great Britain. Freedom was more than our freedom from tyranny from foreign powers who would try to come against us. Our freedom was won by blood, fought for by troops little prepared, but urged on by the need to be free and independent. The pen of freedom spoke for them, ‘With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge our lives our fortunes, and our sacred honor.’ And it is because of that freedom we stand to our feet, take off our hats, put our hands over our hearts and proclaim in a loud voice from sea to shining sea: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, One Nation, Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Copyright © 4 July 2014 by Valerie Jean Routhieaux with excerpts from the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson All Constitutional documents are Public Domain