Civics 101

Happy 232nd Birthday, America!

We celebrate with parades, fairs, barbeques and cookouts (ah, the corn on the cob, the bratwurst cooked on the grill, the watermelon, the strawberries!), and fireworks. I love all the trappings of the holiday, but the trappings can distract us from the underlying reason for the holiday. We're celebrating the birth of our nation - a nation that is not very old compared to others in the world. Our history contains great events we are proud of and events we'd rather gloss over and forget, but we shouldn't - otherwise how will we avoid repeating them?

In honor of our country's birthday, I'd like to share some words of wisdom with you all. I chose these quotes because I believe they are as relevant today as they were 40, 60, or 200 years ago.

[T]o preserve the republican form and principles of our Constitution and cleave to the salutary distribution of powers which that [the Constitution] has established... are the two sheet anchors of our Union. If driven from either, we shall be in danger of foundering.
Thomas Jefferson, letter to Judge William Johnson, June 12, 1823

Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.
George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796

And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.
Abraham Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863

Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, radio address, October 26, 1939

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

For in the final analysis, our most basic common link, is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's futures, and we are all mortal.
John F. Kennedy, Speech at The American University, Washington, D.C., June 10, 1963

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

Suggested readings for rekindling hope:

JFK's Inaugural Address
Senator Obama's Speech - The America We Love

Want to know even more? Read Jacob Weisberg's Slate article about the best books and web sites about the birth of America and David Greenberg's article about patriotism.

Happy 4th, y'all.