Happy Independence Day from the forest!

Good Friday! So, what exactly is American Independence Day?

Independence Day in America marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, when the 13 American colonies declared their freedom from British rule. The Declaration, primarily authored by Thomas Jefferson, was ratified in Philadelphia by the Continental Congress, signifying the colonies’ resolve to govern themselves.

However, Jefferson didn’t want the credit. The committee, made up of Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman, together edited Jefferson’s first draft. Then, the Declaration was edited by Congress. But according to researcher Matthew Willis,

Jefferson himself claimed that credit must go to Locke, Montesquieu, the Scottish Enlightenment, and the long struggle for English civil liberties.

Traditionally, July Fourth is a day of national pride, reflecting on liberty and our freedom of self-governance. It’s often celebrated with community events and red, white, and blue everything. It’s a day filled with fireworks, parades, barbecues, and patriotic displays, commemorating the birth of the United States as an independent nation.

But today, it is often just seen as another day or simply a day of barbeques. However, we should never forget the past, nor the lives lost for freedom is never free.

As our lives are filled with constant distractions and attempts at division and chaos, take this day — this weekend — and silence the madness. Take a hike. Watch some fireworks. Eat and be merry. But remember the sacrifices made. Whether you agree or not, challenge your thinking and strive to always do good.

For nothing good comes from the divisiveness and evil that we’ve allowed to flourish in this country. God bless.