The Challenge of July 4th

If we think back to July 4, 1776, there's something of a conundrum for us today.  We want to celebrate our forefathers who decided that the best way to secure their rights at British citizens was ultimately to separate from Great Britain and declare independence.  We want to admire the Declaration of Independence and it's goal that "all men are created equal".  Yet, we know that this was not the case in 1776 and it is not the case today.  The President's House in Philadelphia embodies this contradiction - President George Washington lived less than a block from Independence Hall, with household slaves that he periodically rotated back to Mount Vernon so that he would not have to free them under Pennsylvania's 1780 Act for Gradual Abolition of Slavery.

I am a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution but don't make assumptions about my politics from that fact.  I note that while I have a Pennsylvania DAR license plate on  my car, I also have a "civil marriage is a civil right" bumper sticker.  For me, being patriotic is about recognizing the history of those who have fought for our freedoms but also to recognize that we are still striving for the ideal that citizens of the United States are entitled to equality of opportunity. 

To tie this back to reflections on history, here's an example of a historic site grappling with the challenge of 1776.  If you're in Philadelphia, visit Cliveden (http://www.cliveden.org/) to learn not just about the Battle of Germantown but also the history of slavery at its site: "Is it possible to change what a historic site means?"

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!  Stop and remember EVERYONE who has fought for our freedoms, for more than 326 years!