Who would have thought that 249 years later, on Independence Day, we would be facing a new KING?
Only the independence of the individual makes for an independent state; only the liberty of the individual makes for a free state; only the equal rights of the individual make for constitutional republican democracy.
More than two hundred years ago, on July 4, 1776, the United States Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The United States solemnly proclaimed to the world that all men are created equal and have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We have since said goodbye to the King.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.— Declaration of Independence, In Congress, July 4, 1776
Sadly, the United States has experienced a dark history of some people being more equal than others. This includes atrocities against blacks, massacres of Chinese, and the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans in concentration camps. The United States wanted an independent and free country, but it fought wars against British Canada, wars against Mexico, and the annexation of Hawaii in the name of Manifest Destiny.
An emerging nation, against all odds, has evolved from being a strongman in the opening of the frontier to eventually becoming a creator and defender of world peace. The United States led and won the Second World War against Fascism. It was great because the United States not only won the war but also, in the aftermath of the victory, led and established a new world order based on the United Nations. The new order also included NATO, which stopped the threat of dictatorships to the world and the once unbreakable alliance with its allies, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
What’s even greater is that America has always been able to overcome those dilemmas. This includes emerging from all kinds of discrimination and making “all men are created equal” not just a consensus but a reality.
I always thought that the United States would go from great to great. But sadly. In the midst of its glory, a dark cloud began to spread, and discrimination against all kinds of ethnic groups bubbled up again from the bottom of the dark heart. But I never expected to see the newly restored “Alligator Alcatraz” — a contemporary concentration camp built on American soil, so close to Independence Day.
What can I say? I live in a beautiful neighborhood. The Chinese immigrant who used to fix my sewers has lived here for over a decade, and both of his children have gone to college through government grants and loans. The Mexican immigrant who tends to the garden has been here for many people cleaning their gardens and just last month cleaned my roof. Under the protection of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, any of us, including those who are undocumented immigrants, are protected by the Constitution and no one can be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.— Fourteenth Amendment, 1868
More than two hundred years have passed. We seem to be back to square one. Even the civil rights of newlyborn babies are being questioned and threatened. How can equal rights for all be protected? The new “Alligator Alcatraz” is a reminder that more than 200 years after the American people ousted their king, a new king is being made.
A great nation is great because it protects its people who are independent, liberty, and equal rights. We must have not only freedom of speech and freedom of belief but also freedom from want and freedom from fear. Only the independence of the individual makes for an independent state; only the liberty of the individual makes for a free state; only the equal rights of the individual make for constitutional republican democracy.
Arno Will, July 2, 2025.
#independenceday #happybirthday #america #immigrants #discriminationawareness #ihaveadream #arnowill
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