The 5th of July

On the 4th of July I sat on the side of the road looking down on Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. Before the fireworks began to commemorate the Independence of the American Colonies I looked around Utah County. I saw fireworks being set off across Utah Lake to the west at Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs, more to the south in American Fork and Provo. I sat thinking of what we were celebrating, a declaration to the most powerful government of the 18th Century that the American Colonies would no longer be ruled by King George III and the British Empire, that the American people would be free. I sat there thinking if the meaning behind this celebration had been lost to the American People in our day.

Was it just another day off work? Was it a day to catch up on house chores? Was it a day to be with friends and family with no thought of the Founding Fathers and that with their signatures on the Declaration of Independence they were branding themselves traitors to the Crown and basically signing their own death warrant?

How was it for the Founding Fathers and the Patriots of the American Colonies the day after they signed their fates, on the 5th of July? Were they scared? Were they having doubts of what they had just done?

How was it for us, the American People, the day after this last 4th of July? Was it now just a normal Sunday, a day to get up, get dressed, and go to church?

I believe the meaning of so many holidays in the United States of America have lost their meaning to the American people, especially Independence Day. Christmas is now so commercial and presents that our children no longer understand it is about the birth of Jesus the Christ, the Savior of the World. Thanksgiving is about turkey and mash potatoes and not about the pilgrims coming to America seeking religious freedom. Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day… how many can really say they understand what those holidays are?

Independence Day – The 4th of July – was one of the single most important moments in the history of the world and we have forgotten it. It is now another day in which we no longer have to work, we can sleep in, and do whatever we wish with no thought to the Patriots of the American Revolution. The 4th of July is the 5th of July, just another day in the heart of the American People…

As I sat looking across Utah County and seeing those fireworks being set off in the night sky I was saddened that the true meaning of Independence Day has been lost. Why do we set off fireworks on the 4th of July? I believe it is this part of the United States National Anthem “The Star Spangled Banner,” written by Francis Scott Keys in 1814, is why:

“And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
“Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”

It shows that the United States of America is still here, we are strong, and we are free!

As a nation we are loosing our identity. We are becoming just another nation on the face of the earth. We are no longer America, but america. We must retake Our identity as Americans! We can no longer allow Our most important day in Our Nation’s history to be treated as the 5th of July.