As we approach the Fourth of July once again, I think we should take a look back at how the American tradition got started. This year will be the 240th occurrence of the date of the founding of our republic, and 2026 will be an even more momentous occasion with the 250th. On the date of July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The country was already in the midst of war as American troops under George Washington battled against the British Army.
The Founding Fathers needed a document to explain the previous year’s revolution and to rally the cause of those in favor of independence. Under the leadership of famous men and future presidents such as John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, the Declaration of Independence as we know it was crafted. Fifty-six delegates from the 13 colonies signed the completed document.
This to me shows the essential spirit that makes the United States such a unique country. We, as a people, are unlike other nations not bound by such things as common origin or history or traditions. America is a nation bound by people of similar ideals and the belief that hard work and determination in a land that offers plenty of opportunity can provide a better life for ourselves and our children.
The best-known sentence of the Declaration of Independence illustrates that so well: “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.” The Founding Fathers and all those brave revolutionaries who fought with them wanted the freedom to choose their own destiny, to have a government that represented their wishes and to be free of the rule of a tyrannical king.
To do that, they would have to fight the most powerful empire in the world, Great Britain. But the Founding Fathers knew the risk they were taking. It was not some empty show or bluff like our politics today. Those brave 56 who signed the Declaration knew they were signing their death warrants. They wanted to show that despite the danger, despite the fact they all came from 13 colonies with their own customs and interests, that they were united in one goal together. That goal was independence for themselves and the future generations after them. “If we do not hang together,” Ben Franklin famously declared, “we shall surely hang separately.”
I hope we can put aside some of our bitter partisan politics for this weekend and take a moment to reflect on what we have in common. We all have a vision or an idea about how to make this country better. Why don’t we take this time to think about our proposals and to compare them with others in a civil discourse. It’s this America we are losing, the cooperative politics and compromises that got us to where we are today. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were not pushed merely by one side or another. Rather, they were worked out and agreed upon by different groups with different interests, for the common good of all.
If we cannot come together to compromise on solutions to our common problems, we risk those problems getting worse. May this Fourth of July be the start of a change in our politics, even if it’s just here on a local level. Because if we don’t hang together, we shall surely hang separately.
Connor Kockler is a current student at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School. He enjoys writing, politics, and the news, among other interests.
