In a time of war and fears of terrorism, it seems that we are militarizing the Fourth of July, our most precious holiday, while our Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are being shortchanged.
Sure, our Independence Day celebrations should remember war as a factor in America’s birth. But the War of Independence was a war that our Founding Fathers fought reluctantly, with great political foresight and by skillfully combining conventional military operations with guerilla warfare. With the help of allies and friends – especially the dreaded French – America put into reality a triumvirate of revolutionary ideas and principles contained in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights
To ensure that our values remained intact as uniting instruments for all Americans, we later fought a bloody Civil War. To preserve her principles on the world stage, America sacrificed for freedom during two world wars – guided by the founding principle of declaring war in accordance with the Constitution.
But, as similar to other great nations in history, our ideals faded when power and money became more important than the principles we had sworn to live by. One of America’s recent missteps was to enter military conflicts without declaring war as intended by the Constitution. Add to that the fear-induced erosion of civil liberties and the ever-more lighthearted tolerance of political corruption and arrogance displayed by special interests. If any of the Founding Fathers were alive today, they’d surely remind us of our duty to guard against government that primarily keeps its promises to the ones with the deepest pockets.
If we Americans don’t want to lose our precious democratic principles, it might be helpful to reacquaint everyone with the Fourth of July as more than fireworks, hot dogs and war movies.
The real Independence Day is about what makes us Americans – what unites us, no matter what origin, color, creed or religion. It’s about celebrating the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We should again think about and honor the people who, as the revolutionaries of their time, took an idea and transformed it into a marvelous reality for all of us – a government that exists for its people.
And how about using the Fourth of July to rebuild a common bond with our “Old Europe” allies, especially the French?
I suggest we have a glass of French red and toast the Comte de Rochambeau, the Marquis de Lafayette and Admiral de Grasse. Without these noble Frenchmen, we wouldn’t have defeated the Brits at Yorktown in October 1781.
And let’s not forget the incredible contributions of Prussian Col. Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben and the many other foreign champions of freedom and American independence
That gets me back to the connection between war, the military and veterans and our liberties and responsibilities. I know that our men and women in uniform are doing honorably performing their duty, as did generations before them. As a veteran, I appreciate their sacrifice for our freedoms – but as a citizen who regards the U.S. military as a precious resource and sacred instrument of the American people, I’d also want them to sacrifice only if the majority of our nation is willing to do likewise.
Our Founding Fathers knew that privilege in a true democracy comes with certain moral obligations.
Ralf W. Zimmermann is a former tank battalion commander and decorated Desert Storm veteran. He is a leadership consultant and writes and speaks on military and political topics. His e-mail is r6zimm@earthlink.net.
