The Meaning of July 4th, 1776

I remember the day clearly. I was almost 15 years old, it was August, 1989, it was a year after we came back from my mother’s country of Puerto Rico where we had lived for two years. I was staying with my father summer, and I asked my father’s girlfriend to go the library. It was about a ten minute walk, it was my refuge, it was the place where I can go and open a book a discover a new world of information. At the time, I discovered maps! I loved looking at maps and discovered an old map of the United States. It was weird. The United States’ western border only went to Mississippi River. But wait a second, didn’t the United States went from the east coast to west coast? With that question, my adventure began! It was a Saturday, the day that reading an old map of the United Stated led me to read Declaration of Independence for the first time. I walked into the library that morning, as a Puerto Rican, born and raised in the South Bronx, and walked out in the afternoon as an American.

For those of you who do not know, I used to be very bad at math, history and science. I was the product of the failure of my own irresponsibility to take my education seriously as my father worked tirelessly to pay tuition for the private school I attended. That day in the library was the turning point, and since then, I have been seeking knowledge where ever I can find it; since then, I have been a student of history.

Culturally speaking from my experience, if you are born of Puerto Rican parents here in America, you are regarded first as Puerto Rican and not an American. It is more about cultural pride, and there is nothing wrong with that. I had that understanding, but then that view changed when I read the Declaration of Independence, and the history of how the United States came to be.

I had just entered the library, I decided that day to look at an encyclopedia of maps. I stumbled upon a Revolutionary War map where it showed the movements of George Washington. For some reason or another, I decided to look up George Washington in an encyclopedia. Don’t ask me why, but I did. In reading about George Washington, I discovered he practically lost almost every battle he fought against the British and German Hessian mercenaries. Naturally, I thought, why didn’t he just give up? It was at that moment I decided to read about the colonies.

I read about the sacrifices the colonist made to come to America, to make something for themselves, to be free of what was happening in Europe, then I read what the tyranny the British government and king was doing to the colonies, and finally the response the colonist made against the king: The Declaration of Independence. The more I read, the more I discovered; I discovered Founding Fathers were men who were products of the Enlightenment period. I discovered Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech in 1775 to the pamphlet of “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine, to the reading about the Sons of Liberty, John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, to the likes of John Paul Jones, all the way to reading about the “shot heard ‘round the world.” Encyclopedias are awesome!

As I read about these men, and their ideas, there lay a common theme among them all. They were willing to put everything on the line, their reputations, their fortunes but importantly their lives for freedom and liberty. But what about that document written by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence? It was around 1 o’clock, I didn’t notice it, but I was in the library for about 3 hours, soaking up all the information I came across. I was hungry, but my curiosity about the Declaration of Independence made me forgo going back to my father’s house for lunch. I went through the card catalog to find a book that had the text of the Declaration of Independence, and finally I found an American history book. It said the Declaration of Independence was in the appendix, and then finally I sat down.

I started to read the Declaration of Independence, the opening words, “when in the course of human events, it become necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another…..” The opening statement to any one listening, and then came, “we hold these to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” The eloquence of that phrase, sent chills down my spine and raised the hairs on the back of my neck. Even to this day, reading those words continue to send chills down my spine.

I continued to read on, “they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” There goes that “L” word again! Liberty. The same reason why those men are fighting for. It was then that it dawned to me, these men are fighting for something never seen before, never heard of, never thought of or even done before. Freedom.

With fuel being added to my young mind, I was no longer hungry for food, I was hungry to understand more about that this document, I continued to read on, “that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” It did not take long after reading these immortal words that it finally came to fruition as to why the colonists had thrown away their old government. They no longer consented to be ruled by a king whose dictates and rule can be done by proclamation, or by his will alone. Yes, I understood what the colonists were trying to do.

This mental nourishment kept me satisfied, the words read thus far inspired me to continue, “when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” The colonists, in their minds had acquiesced to the crown, their rights had been abused, they sought a redress of grievances to their mother country, and they received none but more abuses. They had no where to go, no where to run to and no one to appeal any more; finally, they understood, when a government does not act in your best interest, when it abuses its power, it is your duty and obligation to correct the government. It became clear to me what the colonists were attempting now.

I read then the reasons why the colonists were announcing “to a candid world” why they were altering and abolishing their current government. The reasons, they gave to the “candid world” was from the mother country waging war against their own citizens, quartering troops in people’s home without their consent, suspending good government, keeping a standing army in times of peace, imposing taxes without the consent of the legislatures, to forcing kin to fight against their fellow country, and countrymen.

Reading on, seeing that the colonists repeatedly asked for redress, and peace, seeing themselves as British, reminding their own government why they settled across the ocean, to finally having the argument exhausted, the colonists had no where to run, they must now stand to their guns. I finally was able to connect the dots, it was my “ah, ha” moment.

The words that sent shock waves through my spine were the words, “that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.” This was the exclamation mark, this was the culmination of what the fight was for. And finally, “for 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.” I finally understood, that freedom, and liberty are not cheap. They come with a price. All we need to do is ask, look at the price that the Founding Fathers of our republic paid or any one willing to have the intestinal fortitude to fight for that freedom or any freedom we hold dear. My eyes were opened, I understood why Americans protest, why American citizens join our armed forces, and why Americans speak out against tyranny.

Some years ago, on my own volition, I raised my hand, and have duly sworn an oath to protect this republic, its’ constitution, its values and the people, to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic. If any one is wondering, no, I am not a soldier and I do not proclaim, or claim to be one. I am not a civilian police officer or member of government, I am not an extremist. I live by the words, give me liberty or give me death, and if that makes me an extremists in your world view, then so be it, I am one. I am a simple person, I love our constitution, our way of life, even with its faults, I love the idea that freedom is worth fighting for. It means taking a stand, drawing a line, standing alone when no one will stand with you, in the pursuit of freedom, liberty or righting a wrong, and stopping tyranny.

My hope is, that the American people of today would read the Declaration of Independence, and perhaps then, we can stop the tyranny that has befallen to these States.