Happy Birthday

    "Objects of the most stupendous magnitude; measures which will affect the lives of millions, born and unborn, are now before us. We must expect a great expense of blood to obtain them. But we must always remember that a free constitution of civil government cannot be purchased at too dear a rate, as there is nothing on this side of Jerusalem of greater importance to mankind. My worthy colleague from Pennsylvania has spoken with great ingenuity and eloquence. He has given you a grim prognostication of our national future. But where he foresees apocalypse...I see hope. I see a new nation ready to take its place in the world. Not an empire, but a republic. And a republic of laws, not men. Gentlemen, we are in the very midst of revolution; the most complete, unexpected and remarkable of any in the history of the world. How few of the human race have ever had an opportunity of choosing a system of government for themselves and their children. I am not without apprehensions, gentlemen. But the end we have in sight is more than worth all the means. I believe sirs, that the hour has come. My judgement approves this measure, and my whole heart is in it. All that I have, all that I am, and all that I hope for in this life I am ready to stake upon it. While I live, let me have a country. A FREE country."

    The above is a compilation of a letter to a friend written by John Adams in the Spring of 1776, as well as memories by colleagues of Adams' speech to the Continental Congress on July 3, 1776 before the vote ratifying the Declaration of Independence. There was no transcription made of his speech, nor are there any other primary sources to depend upon. As much as I am certain that oral history is wholly unreliable, I am content to believe that the above words, if not entirely accurate, show us the gist of Adams' speech and the power of his intellect. David McCullough quotes these words from various sources in his magnificent biography of Adams. In fact, the words as written above were used by Tom Hanks and his colleagues for the HBO mini-series, John Adams, based on McCullough's biography. For me, there is not a more powerful scene in the entire series. And on that night we did take our place amongst the world's nations.

    Why, you ask? Why is this the most powerful moment? Because it is literally the birth of a republic. You see, John Dickinson, one of the representatives from Pennsylvania and Adams' fierce and vocal opponent on all things revolutionary and a man of distinction and honor, had just given a speech spelling out the grave future mentioned above. He was certain the road to independence would end in defeat and subjugation for the colonies. He said the path of revolution so soon would be "to brave the storm in a skiff made of paper." He knew his political career would end with this speech, but like many, if not all, of his colleagues in that august body of men, he was a man of principle. And while he was no doubt in the minority by this time, his words still carried weight with many of those men in the room that night. Fortunately for us, dear reader, the voice of our new nation had yet to be heard. John Adams then rose from his chair and spoke. And while Adams always had a soft spot for Britain and its King, he spoke as an American. He spoke of having his own country. "A free country."

    If my math serves me, that was 247 years ago. In the grand scheme of things, we're just kids. Rome may have risen and fallen, but both the empire and republic were around for many centuries. In fact, most of the nations of Europe - England, France, Spain, etc. - have histories that far exceed ours in time and scope. And let us not forget the Far East and Africa, as well. China predates Europe by centuries, as do a number of nations in North Africa, specifically Egypt. But...and there's always a but. 

    None of these nations entered the world "...dedicated to a proposition, that all men are created equal." We are here because of an idea...a proposition. We entered this world as a republic. And while the vehicle of our founding may have been revolution, our political beginning did not come with a tyrant or even a benevolent king or queen (as I've written before in this space, our first president called it a day after two terms!), but an idea that culminated in the "natural rights of man." Trust me, I am not oblivious to the fact that for the longest time we did not entirely live up to that ideal. I know that the Founding Fathers mentioned above kicked that can down the road, as it were. But I firmly believe that if they had not "tabled" the slavery issue during those tumultuous weeks in the summer of 1776, we would not be the nation that eventually fought a bloody civil war, killing an estimated 750,000 men, to begin correcting that moral and political mistake. And we would not be the nation that still argues and protests and litigates in order to try and correct perceived wrongs. If you don't like to argue, you're in the wrong country!

    So, here we are...all these decades later. How does the balance sheet look, on this, our 247th birthday? Well, at the risk of sounding like a homer, I believe it looks very good. We are a nation, Mr. Adams, of laws...not men, however imperfect that can be sometimes. We have spearheaded the continuing efforts to fight tyranny and encourage democracy wherever possible, even in the face of impossible odds. We give more aid to the developing world than any other nation. Depending on the parameters you use, we are either #1 or #2 in legal immigration. There are reasons people flock to this country year after year. Science, technology, culture...even education (so far); for these and many other reasons, they come to the United States. We still have ample economic opportunity for those willing to invest the time and effort; we still have peaceful transfers of power (I know, I know, but we aren't South America, yet); and we have a freedom that is unparalleled in the world. Will this last forever? I don't know...I hope so. 

    You can make the argument, as some already do, that similarities with the decline and fall of Rome are all around us. The increasing volume of the debating and the arguing and the self-righteous anger sometimes seems overwhelming and out of control. The childish dismissal of representative democracy and the inability to accept defeat is frightening. And to top it all off, a small but significant number of Americans want to abolish the Supreme Court! I mean, they're the referees for crying out loud! 

    For reasons too many to list here, the best and the brightest no longer wish to run for high office and many people have no problem being led by the nose by demagogues and charlatans, so we're a pitching-wedge away from a repeat showdown for the highest office in the land between two of the dumbest and odious human beings to ever walk the face of the earth. I almost miss Nixon... The mind does sometimes lose its capacity for outrage. But, as always...I hope.

    Having said ALL of the above, I can imagine, and I've been to, a lot of wonderful global vacation spots, but I can't imagine a better place to call home. Yes, I'm guilty of that sentimentality, your honor. We are still the greatest nation on this crazy planet. Thank you John Adams, et al. 

    Have a Safe and Happy July 4th...everyone! And remember how we got here... 

write to Peter: magtour@icloud.com