BY JANET MILLER
Special to the Journal
The 250-year anniversary of our nation has many names. Semiquincentennial is the official term and means half of 500 years. This term indicates a hope and expectation that the land of the free will last at least another 250 years. Sadly, on spell check, the word is underlined as incorrect.
Semiquincentennial is easier to pronounce than it seems. Practice saying SEM-ee-kwin-sen-TEN-ee-ul. Most folks, though, probably are just saying “250-year anniversary.”
The nation’s Semiquincentennial anniversary means that the land of liberty has endured an amazing quarter of a millennium. During all that time, our nation has withstood many foes opposed to the rule of self-government. What was once only a dream of our ancestors has endured through time and even through a civil war.
The United States of America is unique among the world’s nations. Thanks to those who have been willing to sacrifice everything, including their very lives, each citizen in the United States is free to flourish.
Sometimes it is hard to believe that 250 years ago, 56 courageous men made a decision that changed the course of history. The signers of the Declaration of Independence challenged what was considered divine wisdom of the time. They declared that a monarch could be wrong, and in so doing, they declared themselves equal.
The Founding Fathers based their stance on Nature’s laws and Nature’s God! While monarchs around the world considered themselves to be ordained by God, the American colonists declared that governing powers are only granted by consent of the governed.
Yes, this thinking was revolutionary, and revolution became the natural consequence of the Declaration of Independence.
In signing the Declaration, the courageous 56 knew the risks. They put their fortunes, their futures, their scared honor and their very lives on the line. They signed for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They signed not just for themselves but for all Americans during their time and for countless generations to follow.
The Declaration of Independence is considered the founding document of our nation. It was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. As context, before the American Revolution, representatives from the Colonies came together to explore possibilities for governance and then established a self-ruling government.
The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774. Delegates from twelve colonies objected to the oppressive British Intolerable Acts, which were devised to tax and control the colonists. The leaders organized a boycott of British goods and sent their grievances to King George III.
From 1775 until 1781, the Second Continental Congress became the ruling body for the Thirteen Colonies. After the Revolution, the name was changed to the Confederation Congress, which had the duty of organizing the new United States of America government. They did the arduous work of crafting the Constitution of the United States to establish liberty and justice throughout the land.
Interestingly, two of our most famous Founding Fathers died on the 50th Anniversary of our nation. John Adams, the second President of the United States, and Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.
The two men were friends and worked together to draft the Declaration of Independence. They were also rivals who took different political stances regarding policies of the newly formed government.
In their old age, they realized that their political differences were not as important as their shared experience in founding a free country. It seems as if both men clung to life to see that 50th Anniversary become a reality.
John Adams was open, honest and self-critical. He kept the nation out of a direct war with France, which attacked American ships during its war with Great Britain. Adams, in response, increased the nation’s army and navy.
Thomas Jefferson is known for the Louisiana Purchase, which greatly increased the country’s territory. France had claimed a vast area in the American Great Plains called the Louisiana Territory. The purchase almost doubled the size of the United States.
The question for today is: Would you put your fortune, your life and your sacred honor on the line for the sake of liberty for all? Most of us know someone who has done exactly that. Some of us know a person who died in such service.
Take some time during this monumental Fourth of July to reflect on the significance of our nation’s Semiquincentennial. Identify the role you play in assuring that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness will continue throughout the millennium.
(Janet Miller is a freelance writer specializing in family faith. She offers Family Prayers and Activities: Weekly Guides on compact disc for families to explore the Bible. Contact jmiller@dospalos.org.)
