Posted by Benjamin on: 07.04.2008 /
Today, the 4th of July, is by far the biggest patriotic holiday in the United States of America. Americans all over the country will celebrate the signing of The United States Declaration of Independence. I’ve made a habit, since 2000, of reading the document aloud every July 4th. I think it’s a good habit, and it brings some context to today’s celebrations. I find people are generally quite interested and fascinated to hear the whole thing read aloud.
The … visible, media, public focus today will be on an almost mythologically bright vision of a glorious, righteous, free, beautiful America–an America of virtue and goodness and justice and lots of other positive words.
There are other visions of America which are arguably at least equally valid. One of them, for instance, is the vision of Native American youth, who have a far higher suicide rate than their counterparts in the population at large. Native Americans are referred to specifically in the aforementioned Declaration with these words:
the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
I find this language and the injustice it represent appalling. It seems so … huge, however, than I don’t even know where to begin to think or talk about it, much less hope to move toward … correcting it, somehow. What must it feel like to grow up in a nation that so strenuously celebrates a document which so horribly and cruelly mischaracterizes one’s entire people group–especially when that group has been the victim of that nation in so *many* ways?
Comment by: Jason Horton
1What an interesting idea. I’m not an American so I won’t answer your questions but I have a number of ex-pat or just well travelled friends in America as well as the on-line friends that I’ve made. Among the ex-pats the general opinion is that they have achieved things in the US economic system that would be impossible in England. They cite the mountains of red tape and favourable tax systems as the key to this but it must go deeper than that.
That is it about the US that encourages the entrepreneurial spirit that you’re so renowned for? Is it the attitude that also allows for you to wage war on sovereign nations in the name of freedom? Does that spirit of independence allow you to disdain those who don’t have it or who are oppressed?
I have a friend who is half native American who worked as a counsellor in a reservation. She helped people with drug and alcohol addictions and tried to encourage a community spirit. Yet what hope can you give to someone when, in the 21st century, they still live in a place called a reservation? If your people were sidelined into the armpit of the country and told not to come out wouldn’t you feel like giving up?
Comment by: Jason Horton
2That was much more negative than I’d intended.
Comment by: Helen
3I never understood how this: “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” was compatible with some people being slaves and women not having the vote.
And since you brought up Native Americans, it didn’t seem to apply to them either.
Comment by: Jason Horton
4If all men are created equal and slaves are kept then the opinion must have been that slaves were not human. Indeed there were many such arguments that the difference races were further or closer to God. We see this as idiotic with the benefit of 21st century science, global communication and social awareness but it must have seemed very different at the time.
As for women, in 1776 the idea of women’s suffrage must have been just as alien. I’m not sure about America but women didn’t get equal voting rights in England until 1928 and equal voting for all adults didn’t apply until 1969. The idea that “all men are created equal” may well have been part of the emerging idea of equality for all regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion or social level.
Roman Catholics weren’t even allowed to vote in England until 1788 and couldn’t be members of Parliament until forty years later. Our last Prime Minister recently converted to Catholicism. I think we’ve come a long way in a short time. Of course we still have a long way to go as a species but we should celebrate our achievements so that we don’t lose sight of how well we are doing.
Comment by: David H
5The “all men are created equal” line originally meant all white human men of European origin who are land-owning, tax-paying individuals.
It wasn’t, in fact, until 1850 that all white males in this country were considered equal. That was when you could vote despite being penniless or without property. Here is a site that gives a timeline on US voting rights.
As an aside: It wasn’t until 1924 that native Americans were lawfully considered citizens. Here before we arrived, living on the land for 150 years of USA, but not citizens.
Of course the whole “equal” thing has always been more of a metaphor. Maybe rightly so. People aren’t really equal. They have differences that can go down to DNA that make some inherently less equal than others. And treating people with equality doesn’t really sound plausible if they begin unequal. Perhaps the document should have said: God made people with the expectation, from him, that they would treat each other fairly, with justice and equanimity. It doesn’t have quite the same ring, but had the founders truly believed that this might be a completely different America today.
Comment by: True Patriotism
6 07/4/08 1:26 PM | Comment Link |[...] read the Declaration of Independence today (h/t Ben) and found myself inspired at the boldness with which the Founding Fathers advocated the opposing [...]
Comment by: David H
7This and Emprie Day post gave me a starting spot for a discussion with my children about The Declaration of Independence. We talked about who got to vote, whether equality was a realistic ideal and touch just for a moment on the issue of patriotism.
My youngest said at one point: “The United States sucks.”
I immediately corrected her. “The country doesn’t suck,” I said, “but lots of people in it do.”
For me, Patriotism has a lot to do with expecting the best from our flawed system. And hoping those who live here can take some responsibility toward measuring up to that.
Comment by: David H
8Speaking of visions of America — I have noted before how, as a visual person, I am often struck hardest by pictures. Just today I saw a reprinted photo of an American soldier in battle gear carrying a frightened child. The image can be found here. In the picture one sees a terrified and partially naked Iraqi boy being carried by a US soldier. The caption tells us the Army medic rescued the wounded child who was caught in a crossfire.
The picture, shot by an Army Times photographer, made the private a hero. But a little over a week ago the hero, Joe Dwyer, died of an accidental “drug” overdose after years battling post-traumatic stress from his time in Iraq. His family has lamented the almost total lack of support the Army provided for their disturbed son.
According to the photographer, Warren Zinn, the child pictured couldn’t get proper medical attention either and was left unable to walk as a result of his wounds. So that picture is a vision of America as hope unfulfilled. The potential is there for a happy ending. But in the end there is nothing but tragic loss.
Comment by: Benjamin
9David,
It sounds like you have the kewlest conversations in your household.
Do your children attend public school? Have you had to deal with the pledge of allegiance thing? I’d love to hear about that. Mine is starting first grade in the fall, and it completely freaks me out that her class of little six year olds are going to be pledging their allegiance to the United States every morning.
Comment by: Justice and Compassion
10 07/10/08 4:17 AM | Comment Link |[...] H recently said in this comment: Speaking of visions of America — I have noted before how, as a visual person, I am often struck [...]
Comment by: David H
11I’m not sure my kids always see it as the “kewlest” conversations. They often roll their eyes when I start asking them questions about their thoughts on things like the Declaration of Independence. Yet they often do have thoughts when asked about them.
Yes, they attend public school and I don’t know whether they say the pledge or not. We have talked about my experience saying the pledge when I was in school and how I decided to stop. But I didn’t want to pressure them, so I haven’t asked what they were doing. They may now be of the age where we can have that conversation without it seeming like I’m telling them what to do.
I’m not worried about the school indoctrinating them. All of society has its “norms.” I’m simply here to help think about, analyze and decide why those norms are and how they should respond. I hope that helps them.
Comment by: Benjamin
12David,
thank you. that helps!