Next Tuesday is the Fourth of July! This holiday is one of my very favorite and most memorable holidays of the year! July 4, 2023 officially marks America’s 247th birthday! It was on July 4, 1776 that Congress adopted our Declaration of Independence (though history shows that our Declaration of Independence was actually voted on and signed in the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776).
As I said above, July 4th has always been one of my very favorite holidays because of what it stands for. When I was a teenager in junior high school, I vividly remember the celebration of America’s Bicentennial on July 4, 1976. I remember the months and months of historical celebration and promotion leading up to our Bicentennial.
Furthermore, I remember exactly what our family did on that very day. And, I also remember that we attended a celebration on the Shreveport Riverfront that evening (a celebration very similar to riverfront celebration that has happened over the last several years). Wow, the fact that it has now been 47 years since that time seems impossible.
Just a few years later, I also remember my Dad bringing me home two Susan B. Anthony silver dollars which were originally minted in 1979 by our United States Mint. As a matter of fact, I still have the two silver dollars somewhere. They were only minted in 1979, 1980, 1981 and again in 1999. So, one day soon, I will have to find them (hopefully). They may be valuable.
If you have a flag to fly on July 4th, I hope that you display it proudly. If you are able to attend church around July 4th, I hope that your church celebrates patriotism both in message and in song. And, I hope that your church gives thanks to God for the many freedoms that we enjoy in our country. America is truly a blessed nation. As such, we should all give constant thanks and praise to God for the greatness that HE has bestowed upon our blessed nation. We are mighty and we are free.
Of course, not all nations can say this. And sometimes, I wonder about the erosion of some of our freedoms in this country. In many ways, it seems that we see some of our freedoms and privileges slipping away right before our very eyes. As U.S. citizens, we are guaranteed certain rights and privileges by our Constitution (the most important of which are specifically outlined in The Bill of Rights). To say that our Constitution is a “work in progress” or imply that our rights and privileges can be taken away based upon a certain political leader’s aspirations or beliefs is a complete 180 degree turn from the direction that our Founding Fathers intended for our nation to follow. That type of political philosophy goes directly back to the tyrannic King from which our founding fathers were fleeing when they founded our great nation.
We are the United States of America. We are proud. And again, we are mighty and free!
I hope that you and your families have a very happy, safe and fun Fourth of July! Most importantly, let’s come together on July 4th to celebrate what makes our nation great!
Randy Brown is Executive Vice President of Specht Newspapers, Inc. and publisher of the Minden Press-Herald.