Happy Independence Day! I am grateful to be an American. And
to the extent that I and my fellow countrymen live consistent with the ideals that
this nation is predicated upon, I can also claim to be proud to be an American.
I have long been drawn towards the Lee Greenwood song, God
Bless the USA which includes in its chorus the words, “I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free….” Prior to this year, I have never thought to
call that pride into question. However, as I have been exposed to and considered
different voices and stories, I can now see where many may not identify proudly
or even positively with America. For many, their experience of American life
and their exposure to certain realities within its history are more likely to
invoke pain or shame to the extent that those experiences are not consistent
with the promise of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
One friend, who I know to have great empathy for those who
are oppressed, expressed, “I am feeling a little less patriotic this
4th of July. I acknowledge the massive amount of freedom and privilege
I have been awarded by just being born in this country. I do, also, recognize
the deep amount of pain and denial we carry.” I assume her comments are largely
in reference to the pain of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) who
have been raising their voices in protest to racial injustice and shedding
light on systemic racism and on the glorification of historical figures who
could be identified as oppressors as well as liberators.
Earlier today I watched a video of descendants of Fredrick
Douglass reading and commenting on a speech titled “What to the Slave is the
Fourth of July?” which was originally delivered by Fredrick Douglass in 1852. I
had never before considered the perspective and experience of a Black person on the 4th
of July. And I can see where many familiar with Black history in America would
not associate that date with freedom and would not perceive many of the
founding fathers as virtuous or honorable.
For individuals who are descendants
of people who were enslaved during the formation of the United States of
America, and throughout the century that followed, the date July 4, 1776 would not
have represented liberation, independence or freedom. Rather, it would serve as
a reminder of a time in our history when people who looked like them, and
people who are related to them were treated as subhuman and denied human rights
and dignity. I hope that I can mourn with those that mourn the reality of this
history and of its effects today.
Nonetheless, I continue to rejoice in America. I recognize
that there are significant faults, both past and present, but I still believe
that it is a great land of liberty and that a loving God was instrumental in
its ongoing establishment and preservation.
I have recently been reading a little bit about George
Washington. I started by reading a 2005 forum address by biographer David
McCullough. He mentioned that General Washington’s decision to turn back his
command of the military to Congress after the war is “one of the most important
events in our entire history”, and that when England’s King George III heard
that Washington might do so he said, “if he does, he will be the greatest man in
the world”.
In an attempt to learn more about that unfamiliar-to-me
act, I sought out additional information online about the event and eventually read Washington’s Address to Congress Resigning his Commission as found in the National
Archives.
As I understand it, Washington’s act of resigning his commission
was so highly revered because he possessed near-absolute power but chose to not
retain or exploit that power. He could have elevated himself. He chose instead to
trust the system that had been established and, like Cincinnatus, to return to
the farm and assume the role of humble citizen. In doing so, he honored what his soldiers
had fought and died for.
I find it significant that George III did not say “if
he doesn’t [give up control of the military], he will be the greatest
man in the world”, rather, he said, “if he does”. This to me acknowledges what true
greatness is and suggests the kind of greatness that America aspires to. It is not
dominance, conquest and power that makes America great, but virtue, brotherhood
and faith.
In reading and rereading Washington’s resignation address, I
am impressed by his humility. This humility includes reference to the hand of Deity.
He acknowledged his self-perceived inadequacy, or “diffidence”, but noted that
it was “superseded by a confidence in the rectitude of our Cause, the Supreme
Power of the union, and the patronage of Heaven.” He later expressed his “gratitude
for the interposition of Providence.” He believed in their cause, and he
believed that God was acting to guide, support and protect them.
Perhaps most powerful to me were these words, offered towards
the end of his speech prior to formally offering his Commission: “I consider it
an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act of my Official life, by
commending the Interests of our dearest Country to the protection of Almighty
God, and those who have the superintendence of them, to his holy keeping.”
I believe that this land was prepared and preserved by God,
and that He did keep and guide those who were instrumental in attaining and
retaining this land as a land of liberty. I believe that General Washington recognized
and felt that guiding hand. And I believe that the work of attaining and
retaining this land as a land of liberty is a work that continues to unfold and
continues to be threatened.
In celebrating the 4th of July today, I
acknowledge pain and errors past and present, but I also rejoice in and give
thanks for the liberty with which I am blessed. I am grateful for the freedom
of speech that allows to me to learn from the voices of others as
well as to contribute my own voice. I am grateful that the right to freedom of
speech and assembly allows individuals to advocate for rights that they have
been unjustly denied. I am grateful for the freedom of the press that can help
expose and mobilize individuals to act against injustice and in defense of
virtue, brotherhood, liberty and life.
I am grateful for the freedom of
religion that allows me to know and worship God. And I am grateful that the establishment
of the freedom of religion in our nation helped to prepare the world for the prophesied
restoration of the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For these reasons and
many others, I am proud to be an American and hope and pray that I can act
consistent with the best of its virtues and ideals.
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| General George Washington Resigning His Commission by John Trumbull |
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