So, how will we celebrate our nation’s founding in this time of political dysfunction? Well, it will be loud and colorful. We’ll shoot off rockets, grill some burgers and drink too much beer. As mundane as this might seem, it celebrates our sense of shared identity. The Fourth of July reinforces values such as freedom, a strong work ethic and being selfless.
The humanist philosophy of our founders has formed the basis for global democracy. Their wisdom in establishing the rule of law and liberal institutions of government are what separate sustainable democracies from those that slip back into dictatorship.
“All men are created equal,” a tagline that has endured, is not literally true. Some are wiser, stronger or smarter than others. But it has been interpreted to mean all people have equal rights. “All men” doesn’t mean only white men nor does it even mean ‘men.’ Despite the many failings of our system, its framework permits – no, encourages – challenges to the aggregation of power.
History teaches us that we have violated our own beliefs from time to time – from the internment of Japanese Americans during WW II to the denial of voting rights and equal opportunity to African Americans. But a society whose values are defined by human rights seeks justice in all matters. In the end, justice prevails.
The founders didn’t presume to have all the answers. For example, the right to privacy is generally regarded as Constitutionally granted. However, the word ‘privacy’ doesn’t appear anywhere in the document. The Supreme Court has consistently interpreted the Ninth Amendment to protect privacy as it specifically states that the “enumeration of certain rights… shall not be construed to deny or disparage other rights retained by the people”.
Much of our economic success has been the result of our rights to private property, again not specifically laid out in the Constitution. Chief Justice John Jay, the first to hold that title, interpreted the Fifth Amendment to afford those protections.
These are the values we must strive to reinforce as leaders, role models and parents. Taking them for granted will result in our beliefs becoming so diluted that our way of life will become foreign to us. It’s like good health. You may take it for granted until you lose it.
The waves of immigrants who have come here over the last two Centuries to make a better life for their children – from the Irish who settled in New England in the 1840’s and 50’ to the Cubans who settled in Miami in the 1960’s and 70’s – have demonstrated the validity of a model of governance that has been emulated around the world.
We are right to disparage a federal government that seems to thrive on dysfunction. However, America thrives on a core belief that we have the freedom to be who we want, say what we want and go where we want to go.
And that, my friends, deserves a great celebration. Happy 4th!
WHO WILL LEAD?
