Recently, the day of June 19 was made a national holiday because it was the day (back in 1865), when the last slaves in America were granted independence. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed two years earlier and the North had won the Civil War that ended April 9, 1865, the last slaves to be freed lived in Galveston, Texas. Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which legally freed the slaves in all of the Confederate States that succeeded from the Union, had not reached the slave population in Galveston, Texas. President Biden, in his signing of the document agreed upon by an almost complete bipartisan endorsement, gave us all something to celebrate. In spite of the division and discord that presently exists in this nation (primarily due to politicians in both of the major parties), the debate and fussing over issues like the “critical race theory,” Black Lives Matter, and other cultural bones of contention, we all can agree (as most of the politicians did) that the freeing of the slaves should be something that every American, regardless of race, creed, or color should be proud of and willing to celebrate and commemorate its historical significance. Equally as important are the reasons why every red-blooded American should observe and celebrate the Fourth of July. Whether your ancestors were the indigenous people or what we commonly refer to as American Indians; whether they were pilgrims and puritans, who came from Europe; slaves who came from Africa and Asia; or Pacific Islanders or immigrants who migrated from South America, we have become a part of the great American Dream and experience of being one nation under God. Perhaps we can finally better understand what our Founding Fathers were divinely inspired to write, although they, like us, were men with feet of iron and clay, and did not grasp these foundational truths that they penned: “For we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Nevertheless, in spite of the flaws and faults of our nation, both past and present, America is still the land of opportunity where dreams can be fulfilled for most any and everyone who is willing to plan and work hard enough to achieve them. Having traveled somewhat extensively around the world to nations on four continents of the earth, I can speak from experience to the fact that ours is the greatest nation on earth – barring none. America has more paved roads, highways, and interstate highways than most of the combined industrialized nations of the earth. We are second to none when it comes to airlines and airports (both regionally and internationally). American agriculture and enterprises (whether family owned or corporately owned) are by far still the most proficient and productive in the world. Though the Chinese economy is making strides to equal ours, they still have a long way to go to catch up with us.
Although China has more of the world’s billionaires (1,000) than America (600 thousand). The poorest Americans are rated among the world’s richest people. We have the best health care system in the world. The recent seven to two ruling by the Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Care Act (that is commonly known as Obama Care) assures that this will be the case for the foreseeable future. Our military (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) is by far the most modern combat-ready and powerful in the world. The Russian military is the second most powerful on earth, but they are behind ours when it comes to proficiency, modernization, and combat readiness. Our democratic republic, though it has been under attack from adversaries – both foreign and domestic recently – is still the best democracy upon the earth. It is still the best form of government locally, statewide, and nationally of the people, by the people, and for the people that the world has ever known. Americans have more access to an abundant and diverse supply of food, clothes, appliances, vehicles, and other merchandise that are sold in the marketplace than any other consumers on earth. In the area of recreation, we have far more national and state parks, more theme parks, more beaches and resort areas than any other country on earth. We also have more diverse sports teams and activities by far than any other country on earth. Perhaps what makes our nation the envy of the world, more than anything else, is our freedom of assembly in regards to religion. Though it is a historical fact that our nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles, we have no national or state religion or legal obstruction.
There are, of course, many other reasons why every American should celebrate Independence Day in a patriotic fashion that I could not include in my column today. Nevertheless, I believe that I have presented to you a convincing argument why we should be grateful to the Almighty for allowing us to be citizens of the greatest nation on the earth. With all of our flaws and faults, America is still the best place to live on the planet.