4th of July

Today is the 4th of July. It is an important day for Americans because it reminds us how lucky we are. It shows us that when we don't like the status quo we strive to make it better. We see this first in the American Revolution that is unique in World History. It is the only revolution that the common people did not kill their leader or monarch, and we simply wrote a letter to the monarch to tell him we declared independence from him. Thomas Jefferson was clear in what stood for in the Declaration of Independence and many people still stand with those values today. We fixed our problems in other areas throughout history. The US Constitution replacing the Articles of Confederation, The Civil War ending slavery, WWII ending The Holocaust, The Civil Rights Movement allowing people to have rights and freedoms applied equally. It also reminds us how important our rights and freedoms are. How we daily fight for our rights and freedoms. We also are a nation ruled by ourselves. We see this with our independence. It was common people who fought for their rights and freedoms against the tyrannical government, Great Britain. We also have a document that we live under that tells the government what they cannot do. It allows for The People to rule, such as protest and petition the government. It also allows us to protect ourselves from tyranny and evil. We are one nation that stands for not just our freedoms and liberties but for others' in the world. We have fought to free people in Europe, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. We fought against Fascism, Communism, and other dictatorships that violated human rights. There is a reason why so many people around the world want to come to the US to live. It is the same reason why all of our ancestors came to America. Sadly, people want to teach only the good things about the US or just the bad things about the US. If we do not teach both we can not understand how important the 4th of July is and how it celebrates a standard that stayed in the US. The idea that we the people rule and fix our issues. We see people throughout US History fight against a tyrannical government, against slavery, and other awful things. Yeah, our history is not perfect but we at least fix it and that is why we should not try to erase any good or bad from our history books. We are the people who stood united after the Pearl Harbor attack, after JFK's Assassination, and when we were attacked and the Twin Towers Fell. I hope you have a great 4th of July but don't forget why we celebrate the 4th of July and those who fought to keep your rights and freedoms alive.