And on July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring: "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."
And a very happy Independence Day to you and to all on this substack.
These words are extremely beautiful — they cut to the core of my being. I had memorized them as a child, many decades before becoming a naturalized citizen of the US. They meant everything to me, even though I had never lived here — all the more so when I took my oath of allegiance to a country I have loved since early childhood. What a wonderful day that was! I beamed with pride.
These words still move me, but now, I repeat them with a profound sense of regret, because they have never been fully accurate. I feel that the time has come for “we the people” to uphold their veracity. Our equality has never been less true than in these turbulent times, when our black kin, indigenous people, other persons of color, and our LGBTQ communities continue to struggle for their inalienable rights, especially “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” — even Covid-19 discriminates against them.
Today, I was listening to the words of Frederick Douglass on what Independence Day means to black citizens. It was being read on NPR by a young ancestor of his. I then googled it and read it for myself. What does it mean to them today? I can’t even begin to imagine!
How can the exquisite words of the Declaration of Independence fill our hearts and our minds with resounding joy, because they are being upheld by all — because, at long last, all citizens of this magnificent land stand for its principles of “Liberty and Justice for all?”
For me, it's "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." They were signing their own death warrant if the revolution failed. But they did it, and trusted each other to stand firm. Still powerful, after all these years.
Mary Katherine Goddard (June 16, 1738 – August 12, 1816) was an early American publisher, and the postmaster of the Baltimore Post Office from 1775 to 1789.
She was the second printer to print the Declaration of Independence.
Her copy, the Goddard Broadside, was commissioned by Congress in 1777, and was the first to include the names of the signatories.
It seems as though we may be called to make that choice once again, so easily avoided if we had lived and acted upon those beliefs every day.
I am tempted to say that "I have to believe that if they founding fathers watched the arc of our history, they could not help but add, 'all peoples are created equal'", but would they?
This feels an uncomfortable question for Americans to ask themselves, but a necessary one. For me, the asking of that question can only lead to my belief that the American Democracy, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, must be living documents, that our nations story, our national belief system, must be ever evolving, kind of like human beings do.
"Trusting each other to stand firm" is exactly what we need now....to trust that we can stand together to get through this time. And, that trust needs to include everyone, regardless of color, faith, gender, political affiliation. Thank you for this reminder on this Independence Day.
This is really such a vital question. I did not pose it to myself until well into my forties when we hosted a foreign exchange student from Finland. As all were, she was required to take an American History or Government class. As her command of English was excellent and her interest piqued, I encouraged her to write a final paper looking at her country’s constitution and comparing some salient elements to the US Constitution. It had not occurred to me how deeply challenged we are in America by the difficulty we have in adding amendments, updating or reflecting contemporary realities in our guiding documents. The Finnish Constitution was adopted in 1917, but has been amended somewhat regularly. It is organized differently, but among others they have updated elemental segments to reflect contemporary scientific understanding of climate change and health impacts on society. I began to reflect more deeply about why people either create and then memorialize/ossify a sacred text or create and then live/use that text to infuse their quotidian affairs.
We could, perhaps, improve our lot today to drop the idea that Founding Writers had a Unique spark of clarity and that original intent / strict constructionism is both absolutely Knowable and always Better.
I find originalist interpretation of the Constitution generally misguided, and worse, often used tactically to justify regressive policy ideas which would otherwise fail under balanced consideration. That said, as a foundational document our Constitution is on sacred ground, to be approached cautiously. I have seen some arguments comparing it to more modern ones, that point out some deficiencies. But it did get us where we are today, a dominant power and example the world aspires to (until recently?). All in all, I think you are right that modern concerns need to be accounted for in applying Constitutional thought, but would be very hesitant to tinker with that sauce.
I don’t disagree, Syd! which is why you may note the structure of my comment is suggestive and, I hope, proffers ideas for thought. It was not declarative.
I have dreamt (emphasis on dreamt) of a serially convening (Chautauqah-esque? / TED-esque / Aspen-esque?) forum (a big messy tent) to broadly engage ideas that could be elevated to constitutional amendment status as deemed worthy, but without obligation, or peril of a hijacked Constitutional Convention.
Or maybe better still... to have a national biennial theme (think Great Discussions in the World Affairs Councils) and to discuss it in all walks of life, seriously and with purpose as might transform guiding documents. I wonder how to offer people serious, purposeful engagement with the responsibilities they burden to ensure, but not enshrine, their freedoms?
“On similar ground it may be proved, that no society can make a perpetual constitution, or even a perpetual law. The earth belongs always to the living generation: they may manage it, then, and what proceeds from it, as they please, during their usufruct. They are masters, too, of their own persons, and consequently may govern them as they please. ... The constitution and the laws of their predecessors are extinguished then, in their natural course, with those whose will gave them being. ... But the power of repeal is not an equivalent. It might be, indeed, if every form of government were so perfectly contrived, that the will of the majority could always be obtained, fairly and without impediment. But this is true of no form. The people cannot assemble themselves; their representation is unequal and vicious. Various checks are opposed to every legislative proposition. Factions get possession of the public councils, bribery corrupts them, personal interests lead them astray from the general interests of their constituents; and other impediments arise, so as to prove to every practical man, that a law of limited duration is much more manageable than one which needs a repeal.”
Happy Independence Day to you, Professor Richardson.
You have become something of a fixture in our family. Twice a week, Papa (in Germany, that is the name I answer to) retreats to the kitchen with a cup of coffee to listen to the Professor. It is sacred time, away from Corona and the noise of news.
It is early morning here and your Letter is a fitting start to this important day, to mark it, to frame it, to reflect on how best to consider the responsibilities of citizenship at this turning point in our experience as a nation.
Happy Independence Day. Prof Richardson, I don’t think I could have survived the last six months without reading your nightly letter. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Jeanne McCormack
I don't know how many of you have actually been on a reservation. Living in NW IA and traveling throughout the Midwest, I had a firsthand view. I am going to come out and say it. Our Native Americans have been treated more poorly than our blacks. It is truly abhorrent.
It was so disheartening and frightening to watch the President at the Black Hills. The Black Hills do not belong to the United States but to the Lakota by the treaty of 1868. What was self-evident was the United States is not living up to its Founders dream of all men were created equal. The movement of Black Lives Matter and social justice is now the hope that we may, just may have the opportunity to try and get it right this time. I'm going to hold onto that this evening, through this July 4th weekend, through the election on November 3rd and hopefully to a bright new day for the Inauguration on January 20, 2021. Thank you for your essay this evening.
Zeitgeist – it was a word I actually learned in high school in the early 1960s before this nation was a full 2 centuries old and a century after the start of its Civil War. This year with a new wave of racial upheaval, and the rightful destruction of statues of Confederate State “heroes” that should never have been constructed in the United States, a lot of ppl are also attacking those white American gentlemen of the late 18th Century who owned slaves while espousing freedom for all men.
What seems hypocritical to us today, was merely “The System” of the time and was not unilaterally accepted by everyone. Thomas Jefferson, slave owner, actually struggled with his perception of “Negro inferiority,” which was the dominant belief of his time in America and other British colonies. His exposure to Negro Gentlemen in Paris chipped away at that perception. Here is one of “Jefferson’s Letters” from a small book I once found in a used book store:
To M. Henri Gregoire, Bishop and Senator, Paris.
Washington, February 25, 1809
“Sir, - I have received the favor of your letter of August 17th, and with it the volume you were so kind as to send me on the "Literature of Negroes." Be assured that no person living wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a complete refutation of the doubts I have myself entertained and expressed on the grade of understanding allotted to them by nature, and to find that in this respect they are on a par with ourselves. My doubts were the result of personal observation on the limited sphere of my own State, where the opportunities of the development of their genius were not favorable, and those of exercising it still less so. I expressed them therefore with great hesitation; but whatever be their degree of talent it is no measure of their rights. Because Sir Isaac Newton was superior to others in understanding, he was not therefore lord of the person or property of others. On this subject they are gaining daily in the opinions of nations, and hopeful advances are making towards their re-establishment on an equal footing with the other colors of the human family. I pray you therefore to accept my thanks for the many instances you have enabled me to observe of respectable intelligence in that race of men, which cannot fail to have effect in hastening the day of their relief.”
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
Heather — Your letter tonight once again inspires me to be more hopeful about the possibility that “the people” will be able to prevail in this terrible moment. And it also prompts me to ask more deeply “What can I or am I willing to risk or sacrifice to help make that happen?” Thank you!!!
Yes, they put it all on the line, 'our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." So did Lincoln and his generation. And likewise -- I think you are trying gently to say -- we are called in this generation---not just to words, but commitments, actions, and more. Thank you for the gentle, eloquent reminder that crises can bring forth new life---and hopefully it will not be like the phoenix from the ashes. Rest well, Heather. Thank you for another gift of eloquence and hope. Peace and Courage to all this evening, and all evenings in the future.
With due deference to the Iriquois Federation Constitution that preceded and partly inspired it, these principles, that attitude and this document have uplifted and supported the world and it's peoples often in their fight against the same Trump-like horrors!
Happy Independence day to everyone and may next year's 4th of July be a great and memorable celebration of the people's successfull battle against the fascists and of the renewal of the true American spirit
And a very happy Independence Day to you and to all on this substack.
These words are extremely beautiful — they cut to the core of my being. I had memorized them as a child, many decades before becoming a naturalized citizen of the US. They meant everything to me, even though I had never lived here — all the more so when I took my oath of allegiance to a country I have loved since early childhood. What a wonderful day that was! I beamed with pride.
These words still move me, but now, I repeat them with a profound sense of regret, because they have never been fully accurate. I feel that the time has come for “we the people” to uphold their veracity. Our equality has never been less true than in these turbulent times, when our black kin, indigenous people, other persons of color, and our LGBTQ communities continue to struggle for their inalienable rights, especially “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” — even Covid-19 discriminates against them.
Today, I was listening to the words of Frederick Douglass on what Independence Day means to black citizens. It was being read on NPR by a young ancestor of his. I then googled it and read it for myself. What does it mean to them today? I can’t even begin to imagine!
How can the exquisite words of the Declaration of Independence fill our hearts and our minds with resounding joy, because they are being upheld by all — because, at long last, all citizens of this magnificent land stand for its principles of “Liberty and Justice for all?”
Your eloquent words, from a citizen who chose this country, reminds those of us born here how lucky we are.
Well said Rowshan.
Well said.
Heather, your measured voice is such an important part of my staying informed. Thank you.
As I do every day, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your superlative work. I so appreciate your perspective.
Chills and tears; thank you for the reminder.
For me, it's "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." They were signing their own death warrant if the revolution failed. But they did it, and trusted each other to stand firm. Still powerful, after all these years.
Mary Katherine Goddard (June 16, 1738 – August 12, 1816) was an early American publisher, and the postmaster of the Baltimore Post Office from 1775 to 1789.
She was the second printer to print the Declaration of Independence.
Her copy, the Goddard Broadside, was commissioned by Congress in 1777, and was the first to include the names of the signatories.
It seems as though we may be called to make that choice once again, so easily avoided if we had lived and acted upon those beliefs every day.
I am tempted to say that "I have to believe that if they founding fathers watched the arc of our history, they could not help but add, 'all peoples are created equal'", but would they?
This feels an uncomfortable question for Americans to ask themselves, but a necessary one. For me, the asking of that question can only lead to my belief that the American Democracy, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, must be living documents, that our nations story, our national belief system, must be ever evolving, kind of like human beings do.
"Trusting each other to stand firm" is exactly what we need now....to trust that we can stand together to get through this time. And, that trust needs to include everyone, regardless of color, faith, gender, political affiliation. Thank you for this reminder on this Independence Day.
This is really such a vital question. I did not pose it to myself until well into my forties when we hosted a foreign exchange student from Finland. As all were, she was required to take an American History or Government class. As her command of English was excellent and her interest piqued, I encouraged her to write a final paper looking at her country’s constitution and comparing some salient elements to the US Constitution. It had not occurred to me how deeply challenged we are in America by the difficulty we have in adding amendments, updating or reflecting contemporary realities in our guiding documents. The Finnish Constitution was adopted in 1917, but has been amended somewhat regularly. It is organized differently, but among others they have updated elemental segments to reflect contemporary scientific understanding of climate change and health impacts on society. I began to reflect more deeply about why people either create and then memorialize/ossify a sacred text or create and then live/use that text to infuse their quotidian affairs.
We could, perhaps, improve our lot today to drop the idea that Founding Writers had a Unique spark of clarity and that original intent / strict constructionism is both absolutely Knowable and always Better.
I find originalist interpretation of the Constitution generally misguided, and worse, often used tactically to justify regressive policy ideas which would otherwise fail under balanced consideration. That said, as a foundational document our Constitution is on sacred ground, to be approached cautiously. I have seen some arguments comparing it to more modern ones, that point out some deficiencies. But it did get us where we are today, a dominant power and example the world aspires to (until recently?). All in all, I think you are right that modern concerns need to be accounted for in applying Constitutional thought, but would be very hesitant to tinker with that sauce.
I don’t disagree, Syd! which is why you may note the structure of my comment is suggestive and, I hope, proffers ideas for thought. It was not declarative.
I have dreamt (emphasis on dreamt) of a serially convening (Chautauqah-esque? / TED-esque / Aspen-esque?) forum (a big messy tent) to broadly engage ideas that could be elevated to constitutional amendment status as deemed worthy, but without obligation, or peril of a hijacked Constitutional Convention.
Or maybe better still... to have a national biennial theme (think Great Discussions in the World Affairs Councils) and to discuss it in all walks of life, seriously and with purpose as might transform guiding documents. I wonder how to offer people serious, purposeful engagement with the responsibilities they burden to ensure, but not enshrine, their freedoms?
From another of “Jefferson’s Letters:”
To James Madison
Paris, September 6, 1789
“On similar ground it may be proved, that no society can make a perpetual constitution, or even a perpetual law. The earth belongs always to the living generation: they may manage it, then, and what proceeds from it, as they please, during their usufruct. They are masters, too, of their own persons, and consequently may govern them as they please. ... The constitution and the laws of their predecessors are extinguished then, in their natural course, with those whose will gave them being. ... But the power of repeal is not an equivalent. It might be, indeed, if every form of government were so perfectly contrived, that the will of the majority could always be obtained, fairly and without impediment. But this is true of no form. The people cannot assemble themselves; their representation is unequal and vicious. Various checks are opposed to every legislative proposition. Factions get possession of the public councils, bribery corrupts them, personal interests lead them astray from the general interests of their constituents; and other impediments arise, so as to prove to every practical man, that a law of limited duration is much more manageable than one which needs a repeal.”
Yeah, it's tricky.
Jefferson could not imagine Google and its necessity
usufruct - noun
the right to enjoy the use and advantages of another's property short of the destruction or waste of its substance.
Happy Independence Day to you, Professor Richardson.
You have become something of a fixture in our family. Twice a week, Papa (in Germany, that is the name I answer to) retreats to the kitchen with a cup of coffee to listen to the Professor. It is sacred time, away from Corona and the noise of news.
It is early morning here and your Letter is a fitting start to this important day, to mark it, to frame it, to reflect on how best to consider the responsibilities of citizenship at this turning point in our experience as a nation.
Thank you for all you do.
Such sacred words...they give me hope that I haven’t felt for a long time. Thank you.
Resounding gratitude to you for your deeply grounded, laser focused compassionate vision.
Happy Independence Day. Prof Richardson, I don’t think I could have survived the last six months without reading your nightly letter. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Jeanne McCormack
I don't know how many of you have actually been on a reservation. Living in NW IA and traveling throughout the Midwest, I had a firsthand view. I am going to come out and say it. Our Native Americans have been treated more poorly than our blacks. It is truly abhorrent.
It was so disheartening and frightening to watch the President at the Black Hills. The Black Hills do not belong to the United States but to the Lakota by the treaty of 1868. What was self-evident was the United States is not living up to its Founders dream of all men were created equal. The movement of Black Lives Matter and social justice is now the hope that we may, just may have the opportunity to try and get it right this time. I'm going to hold onto that this evening, through this July 4th weekend, through the election on November 3rd and hopefully to a bright new day for the Inauguration on January 20, 2021. Thank you for your essay this evening.
Zeitgeist – it was a word I actually learned in high school in the early 1960s before this nation was a full 2 centuries old and a century after the start of its Civil War. This year with a new wave of racial upheaval, and the rightful destruction of statues of Confederate State “heroes” that should never have been constructed in the United States, a lot of ppl are also attacking those white American gentlemen of the late 18th Century who owned slaves while espousing freedom for all men.
What seems hypocritical to us today, was merely “The System” of the time and was not unilaterally accepted by everyone. Thomas Jefferson, slave owner, actually struggled with his perception of “Negro inferiority,” which was the dominant belief of his time in America and other British colonies. His exposure to Negro Gentlemen in Paris chipped away at that perception. Here is one of “Jefferson’s Letters” from a small book I once found in a used book store:
To M. Henri Gregoire, Bishop and Senator, Paris.
Washington, February 25, 1809
“Sir, - I have received the favor of your letter of August 17th, and with it the volume you were so kind as to send me on the "Literature of Negroes." Be assured that no person living wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a complete refutation of the doubts I have myself entertained and expressed on the grade of understanding allotted to them by nature, and to find that in this respect they are on a par with ourselves. My doubts were the result of personal observation on the limited sphere of my own State, where the opportunities of the development of their genius were not favorable, and those of exercising it still less so. I expressed them therefore with great hesitation; but whatever be their degree of talent it is no measure of their rights. Because Sir Isaac Newton was superior to others in understanding, he was not therefore lord of the person or property of others. On this subject they are gaining daily in the opinions of nations, and hopeful advances are making towards their re-establishment on an equal footing with the other colors of the human family. I pray you therefore to accept my thanks for the many instances you have enabled me to observe of respectable intelligence in that race of men, which cannot fail to have effect in hastening the day of their relief.”
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
Mark Twain
Thank you for posting this. It is very informative.
Heather — Your letter tonight once again inspires me to be more hopeful about the possibility that “the people” will be able to prevail in this terrible moment. And it also prompts me to ask more deeply “What can I or am I willing to risk or sacrifice to help make that happen?” Thank you!!!
I’ve also been asking myself this.
Yes, they put it all on the line, 'our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." So did Lincoln and his generation. And likewise -- I think you are trying gently to say -- we are called in this generation---not just to words, but commitments, actions, and more. Thank you for the gentle, eloquent reminder that crises can bring forth new life---and hopefully it will not be like the phoenix from the ashes. Rest well, Heather. Thank you for another gift of eloquence and hope. Peace and Courage to all this evening, and all evenings in the future.
Tears. And so, we fight for our beloved nation, our shining ideals, once again, just as our ancestors did.
Only this time, we Remember the Ladies, and bring *all humanity* with us to the struggle.
Whoa, you mentioned the Chinese. Thank you. Usually we are designated as an afterthought. It's scary that history is repeating itself.
With due deference to the Iriquois Federation Constitution that preceded and partly inspired it, these principles, that attitude and this document have uplifted and supported the world and it's peoples often in their fight against the same Trump-like horrors!
Happy Independence day to everyone and may next year's 4th of July be a great and memorable celebration of the people's successfull battle against the fascists and of the renewal of the true American spirit