Independence Day comes at a time when the United States is roiled by hearings on the Jan. 6 uprising, by turmoil over the Supreme Court’s rulings on abortion and guns, and by struggles to maintain the common bonds that hold it together.
But many also see reason to celebrate: The pandemic continues to recede, and despite its flaws, American democracy endures.
“I think a lot of us feel conflicted about celebrating the 4th of July right now,” tweeted champion steeplechaser and attorney Amelia Boone as the week headed into the long holiday weekend.
In his eyes, patriotism also means fighting for change, he said, adding: “I’m not giving up on the United States.”
This sentiment is undoubtedly shared by the millions who on Monday will celebrate the country’s 246th birthday and the anniversary of independence from British rule.
It’s a day for quitting work, rallying for parades, devouring hot dogs and burgers at backyard barbecues, and gathering under a canopy of stars and exploding fireworks — in many cases for the first time in three years amid coronavirus precautions.
Baltimore, for example, continues to celebrate its Independence Day after a two-year hiatus, to the delight of residents like Steven Williams.
“I was actually up there every year. Then it stopped,” Williams told WBAL-TV. “I haven’t seen them in a few years.”
Color screens big and small light up the night sky in cities from New York to Seattle to Chicago to Dallas. But others, especially in drought- and wildfire-prone western regions, are giving them up.
Phoenix is going without fireworks again — not because of a pandemic or fire, but because of supply chain issues.
In emotional ceremonies across the country, some of the newer residents will take the oath of citizenship, giving them the right to vote for the first time in the upcoming midterm elections.
These are certainly uncertain times, with a recession looming and the national psyche still raw from mass shootings like the recent ones at a Texas elementary school and a New York supermarket.
Sharp social and political divisions have also been exposed by recent Supreme Court decisions that struck down the constitutional right to abortion and struck down a New York law restricting the carrying of guns in public.
But for many, July 4th is also an opportunity to put political differences aside and celebrate unity by reflecting on the revolution that gave birth to the longest-lived democracy in history.
Vanderbilt University political historian Eli Merritt, whose forthcoming book traces the founding of the United States in 1776, said “there’s always something that divides us or unites us.”
But he sees the Jan. 6 hearings examining last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol as cause for hope, an opportunity to rally behind democratic institutions. While not all Americans or their elected representatives agree with the committee’s work, Merritt is heartened by the fact that it is at least somewhat bipartisan, with some Republicans joining.
“Moral courage as the seat of hope for Americans,” he said, “is the willingness to stand up for what is right and true, regardless of the negative consequences to oneself. It is the essential glue of constitutional democracy.
