Another Fourth and another spate of attacks on the Declaration of Independence, the flag of the United States, and the USA in general. The general basis of the annual attacks was slavery. Slavery was legal on July 4, 1776; Thomas Jefferson owned slaves as did George Washington; the Declaration of Independence did not outlaw slavery; therefore the Declaration of Independence is a racist document; July Fourth is a racist holiday; and the United States is a racist country. Thus, the accusation against July Fourth and it’s legacy.
Now, my opinion on all of this.
Slavery was indeed very wrong. Attempts to make excuses for that institution are wrong, too.
That said, what all of these criticisms lack is consideration of the whole picture. The United States, like any other human entity, is imperfect. The country has good and bad aspects to it. Historians ought to note both. Even in 1776 there were far more good than bad to the United States. Over time it has gotten even better.
As for Jefferson, Washington and, indeed, any other person in history, their lives should evaluated on the totality of what they did, too – the good and the bad. Back to Jefferson and Washington: they did far more good than bad.
While the Declaration did not specifically address the issue of slavery, it based its conclusion on a declaration of the universal rights of man. It laid the basis for general improvements of human rights and the end of slavery.
And that is the true significance of July Fourth. It was not the end of a process; it was the beginning.
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