by Kimberly K

Created on: June 18, 2008   Last Updated: June 21, 2008

Independence Day is the celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the colonies independence from Great Britain. Unfortunately, for many Americans today it is simply an excuse to consume large amounts of alcohol, and to party all day and night. It's difficult to say whether or not these people know what they are actually celebrating, or if they even care. To others it is simply about gathering with friends and family for good food, fun, and fireworks. And there are those to whom it means much more. To some it is truly a celebration of our liberty, and to honor those who helped protect it.

"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence, opening with this sentence, was signed and the United States of America was created. The Revolutionary War had begun the previous year, and the creation of a new and separate government was actually declared in Congress on July 2. However, the document was signed by several delegates on July 4th (it took several months for the remaining delegates to sign the document), and thus it is seen as the official date of seperation from Britain.

This is what Americans are truly celebrating. Our government and our country have seen many changes since that day, but our love of freedom and basic rights never disappears. Americans may take these rights for granted at times, even to the point of forgetting our own history. However, it has been so deeply engrained into our society that we can hardly turn our backs on it. We will always demand our freedom and fight for our natural rights. The United States Constitution has been amended several times as a result of this continued fight.

There has been much argument from those who oppose our current administration that we have been stripped of many of our rights. That statement may or may not be true. Debate on that issue is for another article. What cannot be denied is that we still have many more rights than a majority of the world's population. We may think our Freedom of Speech is limited, but we are not executed for voicing our opinions regarding the government. We may think that our Freedom of Religion (or from religion as some may have it) is not freedom at all. However we are not forced to practice only one religion for fear of persecution or execution. So while some may not want to celebrate because they see our rights being whittled away, it is worth it to note that at least we still have rights that many do not. That in itself is cause to celebrate.

For more than 200 years our government has withstood war (including a civil war), economic crisis, and even large scale terrorist attacks. There have been periods that we are not (and should not) be proud of, but there are also moments of great pride. Our liberty will prevail regardless of who is president, or who controls Congress. The basic rights set forth beginning with the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and sustained with the Constitution, have been so engrained in our society that it will take much more than a terrorist attack, an unpopular war, or unpopular president to take that away.

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