The Independence Day holiday is spent most of the time eating burgers and brats and watching fireworks explode in the night sky. It is the time where people stake out seats and set out their lawn chairs the night before for the parade. It is a time where people dust off their American flag and hang it outside for the week. Much of the holiday is spent with family and friends who are glad to have a day off of work.
I like the idea of spending time with family and friends. The idea of fireworks is a great way to celebrate Independence Day. Or is it Fourth of July? On July 4, 1776, (or around that time) it was not the end to the tyrannous hold of Britain - but a declaration of independence. It was the beginning! Thousands of men (and women) free and slave lost their lives over the next years for the glorious cause.
It was a war for freedom. It must have been bizarre to be in an era where towns were split between rebels and Tories, when towns were pillaged, and where militia were born. Soldiers fought for freedom with barely the clothes on their back and sometimes not even that. Medical care was even worse than it is for the soldiers that come home wounded from Iraq or Afghanistan. There was no assurance of victory and it was against the biggest and the best in the world: the regulars of the British (and Hessian) army.
Amidst the brats and parades that barely resemble anything about liberty and freedom, remember the legend of Washington and the brave soldiers under his command, the farmers and families who lived and died for their country and for generations to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment