Why We Celebrate the Fourth of July

If you ask most Americans why we celebrate the Fourth of July, they will tell you that it's Independence Day. If you press them further, most will tell you that we celebrate our independence from Britian. Few, however, can tell you the full story. We celebrate the Fourth of July because on July 4th, 1776 the First Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence, which not only declared our independence from Britain, but it established the birth of our great nation.

Most Americans when asked about the Declaration of Independence, don't realize the full impact of the document. Besides declaring our independence, it laid the foundation of Democracy. The Declaration was based on French and English Enlightenment political philosophy along with a strong influence from John Locke's Second Treatise on Government. John Locke's influence on the Declaration is what most people remember the most of the document and is reflected strongly in the opening statement. "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." This is purely social contract theory in it's purest form. Social contract theory states that the people must be willing to give up a certain amount of rights to their government to maintain social order.

The next section of the Declaration focuses on the wrongs inflicted on the colonies by the King of England. At the time the King of England was George III who would later be depicted in the movie, "The Madness of King George" as he suffered from recurring and eventually permanent mental illness. These wrongs inflicted on the colonies began with limited taxes in 1733 and eventually led to the "Stamp Act" which taxed the colonies heavily. Once the British crown realized the damage caused by the "Stamp Act" it was repealed in 1766. However in 1767, Charles Townsend the British chancellor of exchequer, in an attempt to lower taxes in Britain, made a fatal mistake. By enacting the "Townshend Acts" he placed import taxes on goods such as tea. Tea being the symbol of the revolution, reflected in what is now known as the "Boston Tea Party". When the colonies were trying to get the "Stamp Act" repealed, a delegate from the Virginia House of Burgesses coined the slogan,"Taxation without representation". Which still resonates in classrooms throughout America. The delegates name, Patrick Henry!

The final statement of the Declaration is the first document to establish the colonies as the "United States of America". It also repeatedly tells the king that each state is a "Free and Independent State". Then in a final act of defiance and with a "firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence" they mutually agreed to pledge their lives, fortunes and their honor. What few realize is that the Declaration was not a document for the people of America. It was a challenge flung into the face of a king. By signing the document, each and every man ultimately put his life and the lives of his family on the line. If the revolution had failed, every man who ratified the Declaration of Independence would have been hung or worse. What we ultimately celebrate on the Fourth of July, is the birth of the American Spirit. So, this year when you light your firecracker, fire up the grill or cut open a fresh watermelon, look back at the ultimate act of defiance. The Declaration wasn't merely a piece of paper, it was the match that lit the fires of democracy throughout the world. Every free country on the planet has the signers of that document to thank for their freedom.

Once you finish reading this article, please go to www.constitutionfacts.com and order your free copy of the pocket guide to the U.S. Constitution. I would like to thank constitutionfacts.com, wikipedia.com and us.info.state.gov for their excellent articles on the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, John Locke and all other source materials. On the state department's website, you can find an Outline of U.S. History to help you better understand our government and the people who made it possible. God Bless America.....