This Independence Day, as in years past, families and friends will gather together to barbecue, swim, play and enjoy fireworks. The Fourth of July is the ultimate rite of summer for most Americans, and rightly so. Yet in the flurry of activities that we all rush into, it can be easy to forget what the holiday truly commemorates.
Most people, if asked, would say July 4 is the birth date of our Republic. Technically they are correct, but for the founders who signed the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 was merely the birth date of an idea.
The idea of a free and independent nation separate from the yoke of England existed only on paper that day. For them, the very act of signing such a document was treason, punishable by death, forfeiture of all their property and the imprisonment of their families. That these men knew the great risks they were taking is undeniable.
On April 19, 1775, less than 15 months beforehand, after being met with armed resistance at Lexington and Concord by colonial militia, the British proceeded to retaliate by searching nearby homes for militia members and slaughtering everyone inside, including civilian women and children. These scenes of carnage were later described in all 37 colonial newspapers of the day. It is therefore inconceivable that each signer took his actions lightly.
These men suffered greatly for their actions. To say they were well outside of their comfort zones in essentially declaring a civil war against their fellow Englishmen would be a gross understatement. However, these men willingly pledged their very lives, fortunes and their sacred honor to the founding of our nation.
Fast forward to the present day and we see a very different caliber of statesmen at the helm of our nation. One would likely be hard pressed to find many politicians who have ever so much as lifted a finger to serve our nation beyond their own personal or political interests.
I see a few men and women of principle who love their nation and try to act in its best interest.
However, I find the majority of our national leadership seems composed of self-serving, power-hungry individuals with no stomach for sacrifice, humility or duty.
Those who claim to be rock solid in their convictions during their campaigns are almost always embarrassingly flexible when it comes to their parties’ lines on any given position. Today, more than any time in recent memory, the term “moderate” has been bandied about as some sort of new political virtue.
It is one thing to find oneself in the ideological center of things, perhaps believing strongly in specific positions from both sides of the spectrum. That is not the same as being a “moderate.” A moderate in today’s American body is merely someone who will embrace certain values and positions in order to achieve his or her office, but who will bend and sway with whatever winds of political expediency that will allow his or her tenure to be an easy one.
Essentially, to be a moderate is to stand for nothing but one’s own interests. Sadly, their ranks are growing.
Our nation wasn’t founded by moderate men. It would not exist today if it was. As we again mark Independence Day, let us remember the founders and their convictions, and demand more of our statesmen than petty and “moderate” mediocrity, whatever our political persuasions may be.
If we stand for anything, let us stand firmly then. The moderates will follow as they always do.
Joshua Fonzi is a microbiology and cell science and entomology and nematology senior at UF. His column appears on Thursdays. You can contact him at opinions@alligator.org.
