The Declaration, patriotism and pride in America

Two hundred and fifty years is a long time. To create something that lasts 250 years is rare. In many parts of the world, churches are often the most common buildings still in existence that have been around for more than 250 years.

The creation of the Declaration of Independence was a really big deal. The United States of America is the longest functioning free country in the world. This document was created by 56 American Patriots and written mostly by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman, and it included a list of grievances against King George III of Great Britain. The exact line is, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness — that, to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just power from the consent of the governed.”

Try to think about the Declaration as if you were a farmer in the early 1700s in the American colonies. What would you have done? Until yesterday, I had never read the entire Declaration of Independence, even though it is short. It’s worth our time to recall 10 reasons why declaring our freedom felt essential.

— King George refused to have laws passed in the colonies for the good of the colonists.

— He refused to pass other laws that affected large numbers of people unless those people would give up the right of representation in a legislature.

— He dissolved legislatures of the colonies and refused to allow new legislatures to be elected.

— He refused to set up a judicial system in the colonies and appointed judges that followed only his instructions.

— To wage war against the colonists, he planted large armies amongst them.

— He cut off trade with all other parts of the world. At the time, Great Britain had the largest and best navy in the world.

— He imposed taxes on colonists without their consent.

— He denied trials by jury.

— He would stop ships from the colonies on the open seas and impress their sailors into his navy.

— He burnt many coastal towns in the colonies.

The Declaration of Independence declared that the king committed so many tyrannical acts that he was unfit to be the ruler of a free people. The Declaration also set up the basic laws to form a government by granting the colonies the power to levy money for war and make peace agreements, trade agreements and all things necessary for an independent country. The last sentence in the Declaration, after listing the many injustices imposed by the King and against the colonists, is, “And the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Those 56 signers were found guilty of treason by the king. They were persistently hunted by the King’s men, their homes and farms were burned, their families were taken away and their fortunes were lost. It was a huge risk for those men and their families.

Aren’t we lucky they had the Creator as the basis for the Declaration? We are also fortunate to have had so many people — men and women — who have protected our freedom for the 250 years since 1776. We need to continue creating and refining our freedoms to sustain the United States of America for another 250 years.

I’m sure pride in our country is very popular among rural Midwesterners. Pride is the happiness we feel when tasks are consistently carried out to our satisfaction. Our country’s military certainly evokes pride. When my youngest son graduated from Marine Corps boot camp, the pride was tangible.

We should take pride in 250 years of freedom. A few achievements we can take great pride in are our space exploration, the many inventions created by Americans and the ability of 1.5% of our population to feed 320 million people. Farmers should feel pride in being that 1.5%.

I think rural people, especially farmers, greatly support our freedoms and our military people because we have close ties to our land and our neighbors. We realize the work it takes to own a house, a piece of land, a farm or a business. Our pride shows in our work and in the care we give our land and animals. We relish our independence in our pursuit of happiness.

When I was a child, we celebrated the Fourth of July by feeding and milking the cows, doing the other usual chores and baling hay. If we were lucky, after the evening milking was done, Padre (Dad) would load up all seven kids in the front and back of the pickup to go to a swimming hole on Brush Creek. It was a place we visited twice a year. We were excited because it had a rope hanging from a tree, so we got to swing and splash. Afterward, our treat was a root beer float at Beauti View in Wildcat Mountain State Park.

This Fourth of July, I visited the small town of Eastman (population 350) in southwestern Wisconsin and watched their Fourth of July parade, which has existed for decades. There were spectators three to four deep in an eight-block area, watching the high school bands, antique tractors, novelty cars, bubble blowers, business ventures, horses and farm pet projects, all with a 250-year theme of independence. As we drove home, it seemed there was another family celebration every half mile, with grilled food and beverages under the big old shade trees in yards.

In our own way, we celebrate 250 years of freedom but also honor our fallen heroes. Because of the Declaration of Independence and our forefathers’ patriotism, we have a great enduring pride in America.