Knowing history

Did you have a nice 4th of July celebration? With the holiday falling on Tuesday this year I know that some people took off the weekend before it, and then Monday too. Some are vacationing all week and will head home today or tomorrow. I live in a big vacation area and every year these weeks are so busy with full hotels, restaurants, and beaches. Traffic can be a nightmare. Locals know how important all the tourists are for the economy here but they also can’t wait for them to leave. Ha

Over your vacation break did you take time to think about the significance of Independence Day? I hope so. It’s easy to get caught up in the bar-b-ques, the beach, in spending time with family and friends, and then capping it off watching some beautiful and loud fireworks.

But, I want to tell you, I have been thinking about this: I listened to a syndicated morning radio show, the Bobby Bones Show, the other day – it is one that I love. I listen to the show most mornings and therefore I have gotten to know the ‘studio’ crew. They are fun! They make me laugh, and I love a lot of the banter between them all. They compete in on-air games, have quizzes, etc. The other day the host, Bobby, had a quiz for them about Independence Day – and I was surprised at how little they knew. These are grown adults – and they missed a lot of the questions about the founding of our nation.

The questions were about what country we wanted to get our freedom from, and why. Questions were also about the Declaration of Independence, and who signed it, and what was listed in the amendments. It made me sad how little they knew.

They are not alone in not knowing.

I realize that not everyone is a history buff, and some people don’t find learning about the past very interesting. I, myself, am not good at memorizing specific dates. (Numbers are not my strong suit.) I think I had a ‘general’ education – years ago (many years ago!!), one that was required in public schools at the time. I took a required class called “US History.” And, since then, I have learned more from reading on my own as an adult.

It has me thinking about how we as Americans are not very good at remembering how our country got started, why it did, and how it became a place of hope and opportunity for many – but yet, for others it was a place of forced slavery. We don’t realize that our country almost split in two, and that we warred against each other. We killed fellow countrymen. We have had many growing pains throughout the years since 1776. And it continues today.

Compared to other nations of the world the United States of America is still a young country. All of our forefathers (and mothers) came from Europe, or Asia, or Africa. We are a nation of immigrants, just a few generations old. Our ancestors came for a new start, for safety, for personal rights, for fair representation, and much more. Those who crossed by land and sea could not have possibly imagined all the changes and inventions, and all of the progress that has happened here since they arrived. Oh – and how we have spread throughout the land, and how some settled in urban areas – and others stayed rural and farmed and ranched. Bringing ethnic and homeland traditions. And, the transportation and communication devices that have changed us!

My point in all this? When our birthday celebration hits each 4th of July we need to think back, and to know our history – and to honor it. We need to consider those who had the vision and saw it through. The men who came together and worked out a plan, made the Declaration to be free, and created a new nation! Since then it continues to be a country working on a perfect union, but never getting there. We get better because we have varied opinions, and we express them and debate, and we make decisions through free elections. Occasionally some people try to take too much control, and some spew speeches that are counter-productive. Personal power gets in the way. We seem to be going through a challenging time of it right now. But, looking back, and knowing history, tells us it has happened before – and our country has stayed together so far. That is why we are an example of a strong democracy for the whole world to see and want.. We are the American dream!!

When the bickering happens and things get ugly, and when the politicians turn to meanness, and when a small group can get too loud a megaphone: We must remember the past!! Know our history!! It has happened before. America is better because of it – even though it can be so annoying! Ha It’s important to look at the big picture and you can only do it by knowing the past. Read! Watch documentaries and movies! Be educated about who we were and why we are who we are now. Make our ancestors proud.

Happy Independence Day, or happy birthday America Day – for we are a wonderful place on earth, set up to govern on our own, to be a democratic system, and to be ‘by the people and for the people’. That is why we celebrate!