The Fourth of July (July 4th), also called Independence Day, is the holiday that marks when the US declared its independence from Britain. That was done on July 4th 1776 in the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, – That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government …”
It is also when the Thirteen Colonies first called itself the thirteen “united States of America”.
It is also when the central hypocrisy of the US between racism and equality became crystal clear: Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence, owned 175 Black slaves at the time. And he calls Native Americans “merciless Indian Savages”. He was hardly alone: many of the signers owned Black slaves or wanted Native land that the British protected.
To Jefferson’s credit he did condemn the slave trade, but that part had to be taken out before many slave owners would sign it.
The Declaration of Independence only declared independence. It took years of war to make it fact. The true independence day of the US is May 12th 1784, when the Treaty of Paris took effect.
Like Australia Day, the Fourth of July takes place in the summer and features fireworks, picnics, barbecues, flag waving, speeches, parades, pride in one’s country, going to the beach or the park, being with family and friends, etc.
The most famous Fourth of July speech, at least among Black Americans, is one given by Frederick Douglass 76 years after 1776. He noted:
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty, all heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy – a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.”
The Declaration of Independence freed not one of the 650,000 slaves in the US. It only declared freedom for White people. The holiday marking Black freedom is Juneteenth.
For Native Americans, the Fourth of July marks the birth of a nation that destroyed hundreds of Indian nations.
Thanks to Fan for suggesting this post.
– Abagond, 2016.
See also:
- Australia Day
- US
- Jefferson
- Frederick Douglass
- Juneteenth
- barbecue
- Other White-identity holidays:
- Columbus Day
- Thanksgiving
- Born on the Fourth of July:
- Calvin Coolidge
- Malia Obama – she turns 18!
- The term “savage”
- The term “America”
549
The scarier side of the 4th of July
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-Be9f7Ovgg)
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The Frederick Douglass Speech What To the Slave is 4th of July is a great speech.
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It does not make any difference if all of the founding fathers were as prejudiced as they could be against anyone who was not White.
They set down together and established the goals for the United States of America. One of the principles was:
THE GOAL: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”
Now it has taken many years to arrive at this point in history and we are still working toward that goal.
We have yet to accept properly people from the Middle East whose religion seems to differ from the extremist Christians who mistakenly believe this is a Christian nation.
We have only accepted individual, except for a very few, from other nations that are non White since 1965 and have demanded very high levels of education which differs from the migration from Europe which was open to almost any one except the ill.
We are progressing and we should celebrate our successes on the 4th of July.
We should also celebrate the many other milestones along the way to today as parts of the original goal.
Can you imagine the strength of character of those men as they proposed the Declaration of Independence.
May you truly honor the 4th for what it is. The beginning of a new way on the face of the earth. A respect for “the single human” being that did not exist anywhere else on earth as far as can be determined. Not just in the United States but all over the world.
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^^^^
“May you truly honor the 4th for what it is. The beginning of a new way on the face of the earth.”
People shouldn’t post soon after consuming crack cocaine (or whatever)!
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@Trojan Pam: The majority of Americans don’t even know what they are celebrating or what year the Declaration of Independence was signed. The white people in the video were just as ignorant about the significance of July 4th.
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The so called founding fathers didn’t consider Black people as human so when they wrote all men were created equal they did not consider enslaved Black people. Quite a few of them were slave owners themselves.
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@Abagond & Fan: Great post very enlightening.
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I love to light up some fireworks for me and my teddy bear man…. July 4 is an excuse to do so.
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“Happy White People’s Day!”
Sincerely,
A Canadian
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http://www.alternet.org/culture/o-say-can-you-see?akid=14406.1929437.NvcPcM&rd=1&src=newsletter1059502&t=2
I second that Leigh! Happy White Peoples’ Day, your’s truly, a Canadian!
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““Happy White People’s Day!”
Sincerely,
A Canadian”
@ Trojan (Terrible Truth) Pam 🙂 @Leigh
Too bad the few KNOWLEDGEABLE white people can’t/won’t teach/reach the overwhelming number of DUMB *educated* white people regarding the specifics/MEANING surrounding this historical WHITE event.
A people who’re UNAWARE of their birthright (Bill of Rights, etc) are like sheep being led to slaughter.
Why?
ZOMBIES can’t miss their *freedom* (rights) if they don’t know how/when/where/why these supposedly basic human (Constitutional) rights came about. But then, I’m supposing that the majority of the people even know what the Constitution is.
It’s like someone leaving you a lot of money – and over generations thieves come up with slick methods (aka dumbing down!) to separate you from your inheritance. You just lie down, go to sleep, forget your history and let the crooks take it.
It’s strange how a dull & low IQ person like me can see these things and yet all these superior/smarter WHITE people/zombies cannot.
…sigh
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I have an iq of 20 and I can see what these folks are about! Not so strange at All!
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The only thing July 4th is good for is to be off from work. And eat barbecue.
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@ Herneith
You are too funny!!
Thanks! 😀
(Maybe there’s some good 4th of July sales in Plattsburg, NY!)
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@Mary
LOL. I know that’s right.
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Happy 4th.. you have to love the fire works.. shaped like mushrooms and space ships. My little boy loves them.
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@ Mary Burrell
More evidence of the dumbing down of america
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@ Fan
who said: “A people who’re UNAWARE of their birthright (Bill of Rights, etc) are like sheep being led to slaughter.”
couldn’t agree more
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@ Herneith @Leigh204
Isn’t Canada Day (formerly Dominion Day) just another White People’s Day—Northern Edition?
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@ Afrofem:
If my spotty memory on Canadian history (bad, bad Canuck) serves me correctly, Canada Day, celebrated July 1st, is the uniting of three colonies to make Canada what it is today. Something along those lines. Herneith can correct me on this. As for Canada Day being another White People’s Day, yes, in the sense it was white people who felt they needed to get their act together and join each other to be a unified country. Basically, Canada is White People’s Day, but quite polite. 🙂
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Oopsie, I meant Canada DAY is White People’s Day.
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4th of July Highlights Litany of U.S. Crimes
“The United States is the only country to use a nuclear weapon, now has a military presence in over 100 countries,” and “kills people at will,” said BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley. “The Congress says nothing, the corporate media says nothing,” and “the two major parties collude” in silencing dissent against U.S. atrocities abroad, said Kimberley. “Everywhere, from Gaza to Somalia to Afghanistan – and I’m leaving many nations out – the U.S. is responsible for terrible crimes.”
Blackagendareport.com
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You are right Leigh. That’s it in a nutshell. It celebrates the coming together of the white supremacists into a newly minted country. Being British middle-class for the most part, and, not the rot and scum of the earth which began the colonization of the US (we know they were mostly criminals and religious zealots/lunatics), they were and are much more polite. Boring to say the least. I much prefer reading about these miscreants than some staid goof. But it is White Peoples’ Day’ writ large. They bring out ‘cullud’ folks on Canada Day for propaganda purposes to show(pretend) their magnanimity to us.
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(Maybe there’s some good 4th of July sales in Plattsburg, NY!)
Grove City here I come!!!!!
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@Leigh204
“Polite” can be good…and deceiving. I hope you enjoy the first more than the second.
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@Herneith
“…the rot and scum of the earth which began the colonization of the US (we know they were mostly criminals and religious zealots/lunatics)…”
Hmmm. Not much has changed. Criminality and religious lunacy still run rampant in USA society. Fruit of the poison tree?
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The US has an odd position of being between French Jacobinism and and British Whiggism. Those contradictions are slowly manifesting themselves.
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I love Orangeman day! It puts me in touch with my Protestant roots. Plus I absolutely adore the colour orange!
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Hernieth cracks me up . lol
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Hey, I was raised a Baptist not an Anglican! Get you sect correct please!
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