Here we are, less than a month away from the Fourth of July and the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the birth of our nation, and there does not seem to be much enthusiasm about it. Maybe it is still too early, but I haven’t heard about any set plans for the communities in our area. Certainly, it is quite different from fifty years ago when we seemingly pulled out all the stops.
One simple example: Almost a year before the launch of the Bi-Centennial Quarters, the plan was announced. There was a news segment about the new coins being minted and bagged for distribution to the banks. We started watching our change or pleading with bank tellers to sell us a roll of the new coins. It was a big deal. This time, quite by accident, I saw a brief article online that the penny is making a one-year return with the dates 1776 – 2026 on the front. The US Mint states there will be special nickels, dimes, and quarters, too. So far, there is no launch date. It comes across almost as if it was an after-thought, a no big deal.
Fifty years ago, many cities and even small farming hamlets already had their bi-centennial plans in place. Some of them went over-the-top with special events such as parades and activities for all ages. One small town with a population under 100, organized a parade that was a mile long. They considered themselves lucky because the County Pork Queen agreed to be the Grand Marshal.
But this year? From what I have seen, if someone lit a fuse for a celebration, it seems to be sputtering and fizzling out. Perhaps there are several reasons or justifications, but they are all based on just one thing. We all have high ideals for our country and elected officials; far too often, they do not come close to that goal. It is hard to celebrate a national event when we see and feel a wide division between ideals and reality. Part of it is too much partisan fighting.
Since the political campaign season has already begun, I’ve been listening to a few of the advertisements. Most of the candidates trot out the old standard promise: “Chose me! I’ll go to Washington (or Lansing) and fight for you.”
Of course they promise that. They know that if they said, “I’m really doing this for the money, and see this office as a steppingstone to something bigger, more influential and powerful, and get a lot more money,” we might admire their honesty, but we won’t vote for them.
Nor will they tell anyone that they think it is an easy job, and they will have lots of spare time for golf, collecting glass doorknobs or antique match scratchers, or other mischief.
Many of our elected officials had some less than universally honored character flaws. Truman could swear like a soldier, but he never did it in public. He had respect for the Oval Office and the people. Once, when talking with some farmers in the Midwest, he outraged the local newspaper editors for having used the word “manure.” He apologized and said, “If only the editor knew how long and hard Mrs. Truman has been working to get me to say that words instead of…..”
Our elected officials worked hard at not offending people. Theodore Roosevelt did not want the voters to know that he played tennis. Coolidge did not want people to know he was suffering severe depression after his son died and spent about 16 hours a day in bed. This was not fear, but respect for the high idealism of the voters. Once, when asked why he would never walk into the Oval Office unless he was wearing a suit, President Reagan explained that it was his way of honoring the importance of the room.
These officials did not want to offend people and lower the high esteem worthy of the office. That is why when we learned of President Nixon’s dirty tricks, secret tape recording in the Oval Office, or his “Plumbers,” as they were called, we were appalled. He was forced into resigning and was replaced by a straight arrow standup guy who earned his Eagle Scout Award. Sure, Ford was terrible at golf and stumbled around on the airplane stairs. People made fun of him and said he played too much college football without a helmet. But we respected him. We have had truly great leaders, some awful ones, and most of them tried to do their best.
It really is a shame that a milestone anniversary like this one comes when the respect for the President and his administration has tanked. It is cold comfort to realize there is nothing new about it. In 1876, when we celebrated our centennial, the Civil War was over, but there were still problems. Reconstruction and the era of the carpetbaggers continued. Slavery had been officially brought to a close, but horrible men and women made use of the Ku Klux Klan and other ‘patriotic’ organizations to impose Jim Crow Laws, segregation, and lynching.
Fifty years later, in 1926, many of the same racial conditions had not been addressed. To them were added laws which harshly discriminated against Asians. Only two years earlier, Native Americans were finally recognized as genuine American citizens. Meanwhile, millions of people suffered because the federal government refused to consider caring for those in need.
There was never a golden age in America where everything was perfect. There was always the need for statesmen and stateswomen to rise to inspire us to move forward.
It is reminiscent when the gangster Arnold Rothstein ‘fixed’ the World Series of 1919 and devastated the hearts of millions of young fans. They had held baseball players in high esteem for a long time. One of them spotted Shoeless Joe Johnson and moaned, “Say it ain’t so, Joe. Say it ain’t so.” That’s the way many of us feel about today’s politics: Say it ain’t so.
The best thing that happened in baseball is that hard on the heels of the scandal, Babe Ruth started hitting homeruns. It literally saved baseball from collapsing. The Black Sox Scandal damaged the national sport, but miraculously it came back.
It has often been said that we elect politicians who mirror our ideals and behaviors. That means we more or less get the individuals and governments that reflects our core values. If we make the intentional decision to be a man or woman of honor, that is how we will vote. If enough of us do that, then we have a government that reaches to our highest ideals.
This is not limited to government, of course. It encompasses our families and neighbors, our schools and churches, and our businesses. We want the best from people; they want the best from us.
I am convinced there is plenty to celebrate and be proud of in our country. The missing ingredient to elevating our collective spirit is in following the instructions of two great Presidents. Theodore Roosevelt’s great dictum was “take action!” For us, maybe that means to get up and get going. Music is a great help, so go find some old-fashioned marches by composers such as Sousa, Henry Fillmore, and others. Crank up the volume, and like we did as children, march around the breakfast table. Silly, perhaps, but it did a lot of good.
The other instructions for the Fourth of July came from President John Adams. He wanted us to make it a day of parades, local celebrations, speeches, and fireworks. Let’s save the speechifying for another day, but the rest of it looks good to me. Go watch, or even better, participate in a parade. Check the newspapers for listings of area celebrations, and then light off a few rockets, wave some sparklers, and make some noise.
Ultimately, the truly important thing is to intentionally do something positive so that you and the people around you can create some memories for the future. That is what Independence Day is all about. We remember the good things from the past and commit ourselves to creating the best memories to be carried forward by those who come after us.
