What We Celebrate On The Fourth | ZeroHedge

Authored by Armstrong Williams via The Epoch Times,

There are many who will gather this July Fourth under the guise of celebration—barbecues, fireworks, flag-waving. But how many understand, truly understand, what they are celebrating?

In an era where grievance has replaced gratitude, the Fourth of July has become a hollow ritual for some.

The danger is not just in forgetting our history, but also in rewriting it through the narrow lens of modern discontent.

Let us be clear: America was not perfect in 1776. It is not perfect now. But perfection is not the metric of freedom—liberty is.

And in declaring independence, those flawed men charted a course toward a society where individuals, not monarchs or mobs, hold the reins of destiny.

There is much hand-wringing today over America’s Founding Fathers—slaveholders, landowners, men of contradiction. But history does not offer saints; it offers context. And in the context of their age, the radical notion that government should derive its power from the consent of the governed was earth-shattering. That principle—not the imperfections of the men who penned it—is what we celebrate on the Fourth of July.

The alternatives offered by critics of America’s founding are, frankly, unconvincing. Replace merit with quotas, liberty with bureaucracy, individual responsibility with collective guilt, and you get a society that stagnates, not flourishes. What is too often lost in modern discourse is that the freedoms we take for granted—freedom of speech, freedom of worship, due process, equal protection—are still rare commodities in much of the world.

I’ve spent my life examining the consequences of ideas. And few ideas have been as consequential—or beneficial—as the belief that man is born free and that government exists to secure, not bestow, those freedoms.

America, despite its sins, has done more to lift the condition of man than any other nation in history.

It is fashionable in elite circles to mock patriotism, to decry the flag as a symbol of oppression rather than emancipation. But tell that to the millions who fled tyranny to reach our shores. Tell that to the Vietnamese boat people, the Cuban refugees, the Soviet dissidents. They risked everything—not to criticize America, but to join it.

We must not let spoiled intellectuals and political opportunists redefine America as irredeemable. That is not just dishonest; it is dangerous. If we teach our children to hate the foundations of their country, do not be surprised when they tear the whole edifice down, brick by brick.

The Fourth of July is not about a flawless past; it is about the promise of the future. It is a recommitment to the ideals of ordered liberty, limited government, and the dignity of the individual. We are not celebrating men; we are celebrating principles.

Liberty is not inherited automatically. It must be understood, defended, and passed down. And that begins by refusing to let this holiday become another victim of ideological vandalism.

So this Independence Day, I ask a simple question: Are we a people still worthy of freedom? If the answer is yes, then act like it. Know your history. Teach it. Defend it. And above all, live like liberty means something, because without vigilance, even the freest nation can forget why it exists.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.

Source: What We Celebrate On The Fourth

The Declaration of Independence | VCY

https://www.vcy.org/crosstalk/2025/07/03/the-declaration-of-independence/

Date: July 3, 2025
Host: Jim Schneider
​Guest: William J Federer
MP3 | Order

https://embed.sermonaudio.com/player/a/7325211304736/

William J. Federer is a nationally known speaker, historian, author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc.  He’s the speaker on “The American Minute” daily broadcast.  He has authored numerous books including, America’s God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations, Who is the King in America?,  Socialism: The Real History From Plato to the Present – How the Deep State Capitalizes on Crises to Consolidate Control and the newly released, Silence Equals Consent: The Sin of Omission.

On July 4^th, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence.  At that time, those living in the colonies were outraged concerning the control that England held over them.  The Declaration carefully laid out their grievances and reasons for seeking to break away from Great Britain.  There were 56 signers of the Declaration, all of whom pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.  In other words, they had much to lose if the war was lost and many did suffer hardship because of their resolve.

Contrary to what some skeptics may try to allege, at its birth, America revered God so allegiance to Him was naturally assumed.  With all of the blessings we have, it should shame us that we have drifted so far off course.  Therefore it’s critical that we remember Psalm 33:12: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom He hath chosen for his own inheritance.”

Don’t miss this edition of Crosstalk that looks back at the forming of this powerful document.  The discussion begins with what led up to the Revolutionary War and the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord in 1775, the specific grievances against Great Britain and more, including some fascinating miracles that have been part of American history!