The Army ROTC Taught Me to Never Call Independence Day ‘The 4th of July’

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Commentary

Most Americans think nothing of referring to our nation’s birthday as “the Fourth of July.” But I learned the hard way not to do that in my Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) days in college.

I’ll never forget one of the times Sgt. Thayer, a regular Army soldier, decided to randomly quiz our ROTC squad on military regulation and history while we were in formation, following an early-morning inspection. One of the questions was:

“What American holiday do we celebrate in July?”

“The Fourth of July, Sergeant.”

Sgt. Thayer’s response?

“GET ON THE GROUND! COUNT THEM OUT!”

Then he called on another cadet. Same question, same answer, more pushups.

This pattern repeated several times until one of the putatively better-educated members of the squad, whose family had an extended and extensive military past, finally answered: “Independence Day.”

I suppose I’d never really given it due consideration until then.

I learned plenty from being a cadet, but the appropriate labeling of this historically significant event is one lesson I think all Americans should also commit to as we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Founding Fathers’ declaration of Colonial independence from Great Britain.

America was founded on a set of beliefs and convictions—what Thomas Jefferson described as self-evident truths (actually, Jefferson originally wrote “sacred and undeniable” which was revised to the more secular “self-evident”) that were proclaimed in the 1776 Declaration of Independence and then protected by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

The Declaration established the first modern country founded on principles of individual freedoms. It also led to the selection of America’s government leaders by the people, rather than through an inherited bloodline of kings and nobles.

Can you imagine what your life would have been like if Great Britain ruled over us?

Stating a Date Versus an Occasion

Why is the American holiday reduced to its calendar date by seemingly everyone? Can you recall the last time anyone wished you a Happy Independence Day versus a curt “Happy Fourth?” That kind of labeling debases the magnitude of what the day represents. And the problem seems to get worse with every passing year.

Nobody refers to Christmas Day as “the 25th of December.” Nobody greets you on New Year’s Day with “Happy January first.” Calling it “Independence Day” honors the foundational designation and the values of liberty and freedom that the holiday represents.

Calling the holiday “Independence Day” connects the event directly to its historical significance. It’s become necessary because a shocking number of young people are clueless about what the “4th of July” is supposed to represent—let alone the importance of the Committee of Five or the location of Valley Forge. They do not know who the Founding Fathers were or what they accomplished. According to the above-linked video, most Americans can’t even spell “independence.”

Public schools and teachers’ unions have failed to educate American students on the fundamentals of civics. Leftist universities tend to focus their lenses on far-left Colonial/anti-Founder indoctrination to students on America’s failures rather than its successes. And putting John Trumbull’s famous painting of the Declaration of Independence signing on the back of the two-dollar bill apparently wasn’t enough. Perhaps a verbal grassroots renaissance using the proper convention will at least audibly point American citizens in the right direction.

A True Celebration of America

Independence Day is unlike the adjacently occurring Memorial Day, which was intended as a somber day meant to valorize those who died in wars to protect our liberties. Many Americans unfortunately see Memorial Day as nothing more than a long weekend for vacations, barbecues, and other leisurely indulgences. Even outspoken “progressive” Democratic members of Congress endlessly lecturing Americans about our Constitution and fairness pathetically fail to comprehend the solemn meaning of Memorial Day—which incidentally seems to be on-brand with their particular political platforms.

It’s not appropriate to wish others a “Happy Memorial Day” (and don’t get me started on the thoughtless vulgarity of “Memorial Day Sales” by major retailers). Independence Day, on the other hand, is unquestionably a non-partisan day that celebrates our heritage, our Founding Fathers, their principled leadership, and America’s declaration of freedom.

“The Fourth of July” is just a date on the calendar. What happened on the Fourth of July in 1776 was the Continental Congress voting to adopt the written Declaration of Independence, but just “declaring” it wasn’t enough. The preceding and subsequent American Revolutionary War to actually make it part of history took more than eight years (April 19, 1775, to Sep. 3, 1783).

Besides, there is historical disagreement over the exact date on which we should celebrate, illustrating that the date itself seems far less important than the actual celebration of American Independence.

Specifically, our second U.S. president, John Adams, was quoted as stating:

“The Second [emphasis added] Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generation, as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by Solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be Solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shows, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations, from one End of this continent to the other, from this Time forward, forever more.”

It was also President Adams who presciently warned us that:

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate [for] the government of any other.”

One of those morals must be to teach its citizens about the excellence and successes of the American experiment and why our independence, freedoms, and historical successes are special and the envy of others.

Independence Day is a monumental occasion meant for celebration and festivities, but Americans should at least label the occasion by its official title to invite reflection rather than just say a date.

America’s freedoms did not emerge organically. It was born out of the honor, courage, and sacrifices of our Founding politicians, soldiers, and citizens.

America would not exist if it were not for God-fearing American patriots who sacrificed and lost everything they had, killed during fighting for our independence or dying penniless (including but not limited to the noteworthy patriot and friend of George Washington, Haym Salomon, who personally and principally funded the Revolutionary War) so that we may celebrate the day.

We owe it to ourselves and our history that we live up to the principles of America’s Founding Fathers.

Don’t take the sacrifices of others and our freedom for granted. Start by teaching yourself to label the occasion by its name: Independence Day.

You’ll remind yourself and others what the day represents.

And if you forget, drop and give yourself 20.

From the Brownstone Institute

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.