Another Way to Acknowledge July 4

This weekend our country acknowledges the beginning of The Revolutionary War and our nation's Declaration of Independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. Great Britain, under King George III decided to wage war, rather than allow independence for the thirteen states occupied by colonists who were mainly descendants of immigrants from Great Britain and slaves bought from slave traders. Thus, the war that lasted for 8 years ended in the defeat of the greatest war machine on Earth at the time, Great Britain. Many European countries supported the colonial soldiers in our embryonic collection of independent states and helped defeat the British. Seven years later after a bloody war, the thirteen independent states started the process to form a nation, the United States of America, as defined by our Constitution that was finally ratified by the thirteen states in 1789. The Revolutionary War was fought for independence from Great Britain and untold thousands of civilians and military people from the thirteen states, Great Britain, and others who died because an avaricious leader, King George, decided to send men to war rather than give people independence. This weekend many of us will pop firecrackers, barbecue hamburgers, drink alcoholic beverages, and celebrate a three-day weekend without considering for even a moment the fact that many thousands died needlessly because of a crazed leader who cared less about human life than his retention of power.

Since the Revolutionary War our nation, now composed of 50 states, including a former territory, Hawaii, and several territories that we still control, but do not permit the occupants a vote or representation in Congress, our country has fought in numerous wars, all on foreign lands, except for the Civil War that divided our country and still does. If the Civil War in which an estimated 500,000 people died in combat and because of civilian massacres, and all the wars against Native Americans the total number of war dead and maimed for our nation alone would likely exceed more than 6 million people, almost the present population of Wisconsin. Those who died and were maimed in wars fought throughout the world since written history began about 2,000 BC probably number in the hundreds of millions. We will never know the actual numbers but they are mind-shattering for sure.

Should we celebrate the Fourth of July to commemorate the beginning of our country’s existence because of war? Would it not be better to acknowledge those who have died because of leaders who sent people to war to achieve their purposes whether noble or not? We have been engaged in wars beginning with our the first settlements on Plymouth Rock in 1612, and will probably be fighting in wars that we or some other nations initiates in the foreseeable future. Millions of combatants and civilians will undoubtedly die and be suffer in future wars just as they have in the past, unless rational leaders can intervene to stop wars before they start.

We should stop celebrating the 4th of July as a symbol of military strength and instead reflect in a somber manner about the senselessness of war, and what we and the rest of the world must do to stop all wars before they begin. Then we will be doing something constructive rather than celebrating our nations first war, that indirectly promotes future wars by romanticizing deadly consequences.