When I was a young student I recall a teacher administering a test each question on which was a trick question.  One went like this:

Q: Does Great Britain have a Fourth of July?

A: Yes.  Every country has a Fourth of July.

It’s a trick question, of course, because the true meaning of that day has been lost to modern Americans.  Even the name of the day has been lost.  It’s galling to leave work before the holiday with wishes of “Happy Fourth of July,” or to have a supermarket advertize their big “Fourth of July Sale.” 

We don’t celebrate the day, we celebate it’s meaning.  Do Canadians greet each other with “Happy First of July” on their national holiday?  Do shoppers in New Zealand anticipate a big “Sixth of February” spree on theirs? 

It’s not the Fourth of July, it’s Independence Day.  By its proper name we are reminded that we celebrate our nation’s independence from Great Britain.  As thankful as we are to have our independence, what gives it true meaning are the principles upon which it was based.

The Declaration of Independence, the adoption of which we celebrate each July, established a new order among men.  It rejected the claim that God annointed some men to rule over others and based its claim instead on the idea that God created all men equal and that no government rules without their concent.

The concept that the people are sovereign and cede as much of their individual liberty as is necessary to provide for their common good was largely unknown to the world in 1776.  Today it is the standard as more than 120 of the world’s 192 nations are democratic.

On this fourth day of July Americans would do well to remember the reason we celebrate has to do with more than our independence from Great Britain; it has to do with the enduring principles described in our Declaration of Independence and memorized by every school-aged child (even if their parents have forgotten):

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; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

Happy Independence Day!