Good morning, America! Happy 235th birthday!
Can you believe it? Two hundred and thirty five years ago today, we declared our independence from Great Britain. This day, many fill their day with T-ball and baseball games, picnics, cookouts, boating trips, and more. And while they enjoy their day, I hope they have not forgotten the true significance of this day.
Cookouts and family gatherings aside, Americans must remember how we came about this day. Remember the many of our countrymen, past and present, who bought this day by their blood. Without their sacrifice, no one in America today would celebrate this very important day.
This day has its roots at the Battle of Lexington, where the American Revolution began. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about the battle in his poem, Concorde Hymn. The first stanza:
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.
These embattled farmers were the first to lay down their lives for the vision they had of what they wanted America to become. From the first to fall at Lexington, to the last in our latest conflict, there are those who have known the importance of defending our way of life.
They stood on that field at Lexington on April 19 in 1775 and shortly after sunrise, fired those first shots of the war against the British. They engaged the English for the idea of freedom. They risked their lives and those they loved so that their children would have a chance to live their lives free. We are those children.
The last stanza of Emerson’s poem:
Spirit, that made those spirits dare,
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.
Please enjoy your day today, as we will. However, take a moment to stop and ponder and to give thanks to those who gave us the chance to live free.
-30-
©2011 J. Clark
