Fourth of July

I love the Fourth of July, it is the only time I truly enjoy summer. 

Our Founding Fathers were interesting people.  If you look at any one of them you might think, "wow, what a neat person, I would have enjoyed talking with him."  Or "I would not have liked him at all, I disagree with his choices on so many issues."  I'm sure that there were people who knew them all that felt the same way.  So, if these people were just average people, some wealthy, some not so wealthy, why do we remember them?  Why do we speak of them as though they lived next door?  Why do we still refer to their letters and writings as though they were there to guide us as a textbook of sorts?  Why do we include their letters and writings in our textbooks?
We still consider the Founding Fathers important because they did something that was crazy and heroic at the same time, perhaps crazier than heroic in the beginning, which is what led us all to believe they were originally heroic.  They were selfish, radical, revolutionary in the strictest sense, and also loyal and charitable.  I've heard people say that the Revolution was about taxes, and it was, but when you stop there it makes it seem so childish.  They were not simply telling the king, "we don't want you taking our money."  They were saying so much more.

There were many grievances against the king, which the Founding Fathers laid out in the Declaration of Independence, these are the most commonly discussed today.

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences


But there were many more, arguably more worth fighting against:


He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:


Are they all relevant today, probably not, are many of them relevant today, yep.  Did the Founding Fathers go to war over taxes?  A little bit yes, a little bit no.  They went to war because the king refused to listen to their repeated appeals to act fairly toward them.  If he had listened our history would be different and we would likely not have any fireworks today.  However, he didn't listen so we say "Happy Birthday" to the best nation on earth and We the People remember that in 1776 a small group of courageous men, supported by women of course, decided that enough was enough.  The states made a great union and protected future generations from tyranny and cruelty.  As Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,"  Hence, the people did the work, not a king, or a protector, the people.  So go people!

And today thank the Founding Fathers for having the audacity to do what was right and to stand up against tyranny.