Posted July 14, 2005

     In the aftermath of the Fourth of July, the American Independence Day, South Boston Online offers a few observations on the history that led to the formation of the United States.

     It’s important to remember that the Revolutionary War began as a fight for certain rights, not as a fight for freedom.  From the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, until June, 1776, when Richard Henry Lee (from Virginia) officially proposed independence, we fought to maintain rights that the colonies had enjoyed for more than 150 years.  We formally declared our independence from England only after a year and a half of war.

     We even proposed peaceful settlements of our grievances before declaring our independence, most notably in the so-called “Olive Branch Petition”.  That didn’t work – complete freedom was the only alternative.

     So, it is clear that there’s a historical difference between the word “rights” and the words “freedom, liberty, and independence”.

The first ten amendments to our Constitution, which we call the “Bill of Rights”, are mis-named.  They should be called a “Bill of Freedoms” – freedom of speech and religion, freedom to assemble, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, and so on.

     One of the differences between “rights” and “freedoms” is that freedom is hard work.  Just recall the saying, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”  That’s “eternal”, as in “forever”.  At the Korean War commemoration in June, Capt. (USN) Thomas Hudner said, “If we don’t face up to repression, we will always be at war.”  How true.

     Nowadays, we are so concerned for our rights that we forget about the responsibilities that go along with them.  In some cases, this has led to “single issue” political movements that focus on just one right, rather than the well-being of the nation as a whole.

     Did the Founding Fathers and the composers of the Declaration of Independence anticipate that freedom, liberty, and independence would require supreme efforts and sacrifices?  They certainly did.  Just read the Declaration of Independence (it takes less than ten minutes) and let its final lines – the vow of freedom – sink in:  “…we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”  In other words, everything, no limit.

     In the 21st Century, the 229th year of our existence, we need to remember that “rights” can only exist on a foundation of freedom , liberty, and independence.  Even now, that takes hard work and sacrifice.