Assemblyman Dan Logue
The Fourth of July is a time when we celebrate America’s independence and remember that this privilege came at a great cost.
For most of us, we first learned the story of our country’s independence in school, where we learned about legends such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and places such as Lexington and Yorktown. We learned that many lost their lives in the Revolutionary War that raged after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and that the effects of that Declaration have rippled throughout history.
The simple truth is that our country is free today because patriots past and present risked their lives, fortunes, and their sacred honor to ensure America’s independence from Great Britain. Much blood was shed on both sides, but the result of the Revolutionary War was clear – the fledging country known as the United States of America survived its first crucial test of freedom.
Independence Day carries a very special significance for me not only because I am proud to be an American, but because I can trace my family roots back to the Founding Fathers. In fact, I can count four of them as my direct descendents. Three were in the room when Patrick Henry gave his famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!” speech at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. When Carrington heard Patrick Henry’s speech, He said he wanted to be buried in the very spot where he heard his speech. If you visit the Saint John’s Church in Richmond Virginia you will see his grave right outside the window seal he sat in while he heard Henry’s give me liberty or give me death speech.
If I had a time machine, being at that church to listen to those famous words would be one of my first stops.
Although some may look back at the time of the Founding Fathers as a period of political tranquility where everybody got together (compared to the bitter partisanship we see today), we know that was not true. Like any other group of people, they had their share of disagreements. Some wanted a strong central government while others wanted more local control – themes that sound familiar today. Stories abound of them not getting along, but somehow they put aside their differences for the greater good. We should be grateful that they did – otherwise there have would been no America.
In our country today, a new generation of patriots with ancestors from all over the world is assuming the responsibilities of citizenship and service. These patriots may not find a Founding Father on their family tree, but they can find ancestors who yearned for freedom and better opportunities. Indeed, anyone who loves liberty shares a stake in the national story that kicked off on July 4, 1776, and continues to be written as we speak.
On this Independence Day, let us strive to tell the story of our nation to the next generation lest it be lost forever.
Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to my Great Great Grandfather Edward Carrington said it best., January 16, 1787
“Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors, shall all become wolves.”
As President Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. …It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
May you and your loved ones have a safe and happy Independence Day.
North State Assemblyman Dan Logue represents the 3rd Assembly District in the California Legislature.