Our Fourth of July brings to mind a man who rejects our celebration. And men and women on a tiny island. And people who grow into oversized roles into which they get dropped.
The man was an Englishman whom I took to a Fourth of July celebration in Cooperstown. After the band played and politicians proclaimed and veterans fired volleys I asked if he enjoyed this slice of Americana.
“It was quaint,” he said. “But I felt uncomfortable. After all, this was an English colony. It rightfully belonged to England.”
I told him he must be joking. But he was deadly serious. Next time you come across a southerner who still mourns the loss of the Confederacy 150 years ago, think of this Englishman and his resentment of England’s loss 233 years on.
As for our revolution, we have many expressions that deal with men and women rising to the occasion. Leaders so often step forward to fill vacuums. Frequently, people who possess just the qualities we need appear just when we need them. This is true in all aspects of life, including business, family matters, the running of countries.
On the Fourth I think of Jefferson, who appeared when we needed a Declaration of Independence. He created a document that has stirred billions of people. It remains the penultimate expression of the yearnings of those who desire freedom. It is as pertinent today as it was the day he penned it. To the word. To the peoples of the world.
Adams, Franklin and others grew to be giants at the hour when the colonies needed giants. Franklin, with sparse education, negotiated with and cajoled and outmaneuvered leaders from the most powerful nations on earth.
Had we not had a revolution these men would have no doubt led lives of some distinction. But it was the demands of the times that brought out their finest qualities. It was the demands of our Civil War that brought forth the timeless compassion, good judgement and wisdom of Lincoln.
