July 4th Confusion

Americans celebrate July 4th as the Birthday of The United States of America.  That date was chosen because it is the date that Thomas Jefferson signed the document that a group of men gathered together in Philadelphia, wrote that declared that the thirteen colonies of Great Britain located on the North American continent were free.  Well, as we know, Britain didn't just say, "oh, o.k. we're outta here."  

It took eight years of war, with thousands of battle deaths on both sides and thousands more dying from diseases before America became an independent country.  The American Revolution officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783.  The actual fighting part of the war had ended nearly two years earlier, on October 19, 1781, when British general Charles Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown.  It would be until 1870 that Congress would officially declare July 4th as a national holiday to celebrate our independence.

Over the years that followed, this day and its celebration would continue to lead to confusion.  It is a holiday that brings out feelings of patriotism, it is a holiday that we celebrate with American Food and Fireworks, it is a holiday that celebrates our beginnings as an independent country.  It is a holiday that in my seventy plus years of celebrating it was about picnics not politics, it was about fireworks not fire-power, it was about being proud to be American, not ashamed to be American because of the way we are treating innocent children who were brought here in search of the freedom that America represents.

I pray for America, I pray for our leaders and I pray that this shameful example of who we truly are not, will soon be over.    

Amen