You see, while we tend to think that the Declaration of Independence was passed, signed, sealed and printed in all the textbooks on July 4, 1776, it didn’t quite work that way.
The Continental Congress actually declared independence from Great Britain on July 2.
The Fourth was the day they adopted the Declaration itself. However, it took time to properly inscribe the thing on parchment, people had to take off for awhile, and so most of the delegates actually signed it on August 2nd.
What matters, however, is what it symbolizes, which is that we are one nation. Back then, Detroit was a French town of 2,000 people under British rule in one of the empire’s least interesting provincial backwaters. The rest of Michigan was largely swamp or primeval forest. Things have changed a lot since then. We’re facing some hard times now. The key industry that defined our state for a century will never again be what it was.
Yet we are a scrappy band of comeback kids, with an odd bit of twisted and zany thrown in. Yes, Michigan put the world on wheels, but it is no accident that we‘ve also produced Dr. Death, Iggy Pop and any number of other nuts, lovable and otherwise.
And most of the time, when the chips are down, we somehow come through, maybe not in the most elegant of ways, but we do.
So does our nation. You have to wonder what the founding fathers would think if they could see us now, still living under basically the same form of government they launched with that Declaration and later created with the Constitution.
That Declaration will be a little more real this year than ever before. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. When those lines were written, most American black men were not even legally men. Exactly eight months before this Fourth of July, a species of American became extinct one Tuesday night:
Little black children who never before could believe they could rise as high as everybody else. Nearly seventy million Americans, the vast majority of them white, voted to install a black man as president.
It’s hard to know whether the founders would be more stunned by that, or that he barely beat out a woman for the top job.
What we know is this state, like this nation, has prevailed, time and again. On July 4, 1863, dawn rose over the mangled bodies of hundreds of Michigan men littering the wheat fields of Gettysburg. They didn’t know it, but their sacrifice had helped save the union.
News of their victory would come to a farmer’s wife in Dearborn, who gave birth to a baby that same month.
He would end up changing the world himself; his name was Henry Ford. When I watch the fireworks tomorrow night, I’ll be wondering about what will happen next.
The Northfield Township Library hosts an annual event on July 4: "We, the People" is an hour-long program of local citizens dressed as historic characters, reading and interpreting famous American documents. It is an unbelievable program that has loyal followers.
We would love to have you there next year! Here is the link:
http://www.northfieldtownshiplibrary.com/#WE,_THE_PEOPLE_
Posted by: BDeak | July 06, 2009 at 11:59 AM
Jack, don't be in awe and "worship" Henry Ford too much (even though he was a native son) because he was also an antosemite and a Nazi sympathizer and collaborator for a long time. Ford was great at getting things done, but then so were the Germans! Too bad old Ford wasn't more of a philanthropist like his great, great grandson Bill. Then we could maybe really celebrate his birth. I'll stick to honoring those that helped free the slaves.
Posted by: George | July 06, 2009 at 03:00 PM
We'll always go through problems, that's life in general. I think we have a chance to re-evaluate our values in life. We've all lived above our means for years and now we've hit bottom. Maybe we'll figure out how to live within our means and make banks and corporations more accountable in the future. In any event, enjoy your essays on NPR and appreciate your unbiased views. Keep up the good work!
Posted by: rjacks | July 08, 2009 at 01:14 PM
You are very kind. Thank you
Posted by: Jack Lessenberry | July 08, 2009 at 03:17 PM