3 Things to Remember on Independence Day

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Mises

3 Things to Remember on Independence Day

12 COMMENTS

11 HOURS AGO Ryan McMaken

It's difficult to say what most Americans commemorate or celebrate on Independence Day nowadays. Many appear to focus on some vague notion of "America." Others even take to jingoism equating the United States government with the very notion of "freedom." 

Lost in all of this is the fact that the Declaration of Independence — the document we're supposed to remember today — is a document that promotes secession, rebellion, and what the British at the time regarded as treason. 

On the other hand, those who do recall the radical nature of the Declaration often tend to romanticize the American Revolution in a way that is neither instructive nor helpful today. 

So, what should we remember about Independence Day, and what can it teach us? For starters, here are three things about the history and context of this holiday that should continue to inform us today and into the future.  

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Five Articles for the Fourth

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11 HOURS AGO Mises Institute

The Declaration of Independence, and the Revolution it helped inspire, have long been subjects of commentary here at mises.org. Here is just a small portion of some of what our archives have to offer. 

1) The Causes of the Revolution of 1776 by Albert Jay Nock

The colonists regarded the State primarily as an instrument whereby one might help oneself and hurt others; that is to say, first and foremost they regarded it as the organization of the political means. No other view of the State was ever held in colonial America. Romance and poetry were brought to bear on the subject in the customary way; glamorous myths about it were propagated with the customary intent; but when all came to all, nowhere in colonial America were actual practical relations with the State ever determined by any other view than this.

2) The Real Jefferson by Luigi Marco Bassani

Of course there were many inconsistencies in Jefferson’s writings, and his behavior in politics often contradicted his stated political philosophy. That said, it remains indisputably true that Jefferson was a Lockean who believed in the natural right of property and in the rights of the states as independent political entities to determine their own destinies.

3) Was the American Revolution Radical? by Murray N. Rothbard     https://mises.org/blog/five-articles-fourth

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‘No Nation Can Exist Without a Culture to Hold It Together’

When people come to our great country, they need to become Americans — 'this binds us, pushes us to excel together'

by Matthew Wadler | Updated 04 Jul 2017 at 10:13 AM

I just finished one of the most amazing trips of my life. I rode with my wife from our home state of Indiana all the way to the coast of California. When I say rode, I mean that we took my Harley Davidson.

It was a truly eye-opening experience, almost religious in its context, and a trip I would suggest to anyone capable of taking a couple of weeks for themselves. We were on a fairly rigid timeline for both the trip out and the return trip, which meant more than one day of riding for 10 hours. During our week-long trek out to California, we stopped at the Grand Canyon and then Monterey, California, to explore.    http://www.lifezette.com/momzette/in-america-small-towns-people-believe-helping-each-other/ 

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Jefferson’s Elements

By Jay Whig| July 3, 2017

When Euclid wrote Elements circa 300 B.C. he set down five axioms.

1.     A straight line can be made from any two points.

2.     A finite straight line can be extended continuously.

3.     A circle can be described by a line segment with a fixed point and the opposite point rotated continuously to its original position.

4.     All right angles are equal to one another.

5.     If a straight line falling on two straight lines makes the interior angles on the same side less than two right angles, the two straight lines, if produced indefinitely, meet   https://amgreatness.com/2017/07/03/jeffersons-elements/ 

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