Reflections on 250 years of America

Or, how I learned to stop worrying and enjoy 4th of July

I’ve always loved the 4th of July. Not for what it represents, but because I love a holiday, and summer needs one. I have many fond childhood memories of the annual 4th of July parade. Eating fruit from the farmer’s market on the sidewalk waiting for the procession to begin. My dad yelling “pop a wheelie!” at a motorcycle cop in the parade, and the cop obliging but promptly spinning out. This was always followed by barbecuing at our family friends’ house, where I ate hot dogs, set off fireworks, and watched my dad’s friend Dave get really drunk. To me, that’s what summer and 4th of July are all about.

But as America recedes into blatant fascism, there is a discomfort around celebrating this holiday. How do we honor a country that is killing protesters, imprisoning immigrants, rolling back civil rights, funding a genocide, and letting capital ruin society?

Unfortunately, it has always been this way. For the past 250 years, this country has made a case that it should not be celebrated. George Washington, the poster-boy of 1776, was a slaveowner, as were most of the founding fathers. As the 1619 Project pointed out, the colonists’ desire to defend slavery contributed to the Revolution. We think of the Revolutionary War as being fought and won for freedom and democracy, but the only free people with rights standing at the end were white men.

After defeating the British and effectively spinning the freedom narrative, we manifest destiny-ed our way through a genocide. We relegated whatever was left of the indigenous population of this sacred land to resourceless reservations. Slavery ended in 1865 (but not for prisoners) and Jim Crowe began. American imperialism ramped up and continues today with deadly vigor.

Even with small victories, such as the right to vote for women in 1920, many were left behind. Indigenous people and non-white women were kept from voting with regulations, literacy tests, and poll taxes. More recently, the Supreme Court decided that corporations have protected voting rights, while conservatives chip away at the voting rights of real people.

And I’m omitting many atrocities! I could go on and on forever. What then, does one do, living in a country where everything is wrong and has always been wrong? My only suggestion is to reject the usual lionization of America and start celebrating the wins of the collective.

There are many things about this country that are worth honoring. Unique art, music, film, literature, food, culture; all of the things that breathe life into the human experience persist. And, I have to think that deep down, at our core, most Americans are good. In the wake of the World Cup, visiting fans are surprised at how friendly we are, how quick we are to welcome them and make everyone feel at home.

Most Americans would not wish violence upon their neighbors. Most Americans would not wish imprisonment or death upon immigrants. The morally depraved ones just happen to be the loudest, or have the most money and power. Which is, admittedly, daunting. Especially considering, as I noted bleakly above, it feels like that bloc has had successes for centuries.

But people have been fighting back for these past 250 years. We’ve had successful movements from abolitionists, intersectional suffragettes, civil rights groups, labor unions, conservationists, etc. We are not in an unprecedented era. We can still fight back as we always have, and people are taking it upon themselves to do so every day. Here are a few inspiring wins America has seen recently:

We should all reflect on how to make this country better, but it can be overwhelming to ponder what one can realistically achieve. The general public’s ability to fight back has been knee-capped by the American police state and capitalism. But I genuinely think starting small at the local level could have huge impacts down the road.

We can hone our media literacy and critical thinking skills. We can read about what is going on in the community, learn about ballot initiatives, figure out what rules, regulations, and legislation are going through local government. We can learn who is behind certain initiatives and why. Know your city council, mayor, state representatives and senators, and U.S. representatives and senators. Ask yourself what you want to see in your community, what problems you want addressed, and how you can effect that change.

As conservatives continue to desecrate this country, I find myself hoping the Empire falls, but that America remains standing in its ashes, ready to be strengthened by the ones who value humanity. This 4th of July, I will be getting drunk and enjoying a hot dog, but in celebration of those who genuinely strive to make this country better.