As our country approaches its 244th birthday I thought it would be appropriate to share with you a scene from the John Adams miniseries. Our nation is in the midst of what we have always been in the midst of - turmoil, factions and political upheaval. This is what makes our nation special. People of all walks of life; of all skin colors; of all belief systems and of all political orientations get to demand that our nation live up to the promises that were supposed to be kept. I for one am not worried that the pandemic or social unrest will tear us apart. People have been predicting the decline of America from the first moment the ink began to dry on the Declaration of Independence.
We have never been perfect. We have always been flawed.
But it is our flaws that allows us to incrementally - and sometimes suddenly - realize that all people have a God-given right to life, liberty and property.
It is when any one of us has a legitimate argument that our rights are being violated that we stand up and demand change.
This is how it was intended to be.
So whether you are part of the 'no mask' movement of the Trump supporters or part of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement you are living out 244 years of what America is and should always be about - dissent, discord and demands that the principles of our founding documents be adhered to.
So, happy Independence Day - whatever Independence looks like to you.
Thank you for this article. I was feeling down about our future as a nation and I read this and your words moved me. I took your class in 2011 and I have been somewhere in the center ever since and was feeling isolated by the polarization of our country. The United States has never been perfect but we aim to be better.
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