250 years and counting

This Fourth of July, our country’s Great Experiment will be 250 years old.

The Declaration of Independence was accepted and signed by a group of men we call Founding Fathers. These men knew the cost of signing this document and risked their lives, reputations, wealth and families’ safety.

The statement in the Declaration that sets the standard for this experiment is as follows:

“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.”

Samuel Adams was one of the men who signed the Declaration. Sadly, Adams is probably better known today for beer even though he was involved in organizing resistance to the British rule in Boston. Adams helped create the Sons of Liberty, a political organization active in the 13 American colonies. Secret meetings were held in the basement of the Green Dragon Tavern, which became known by historians as the headquarters of the Revolution. The Boston Tea Party was planned at this tavern. Adams and friends probably drank beer and ale while planning the Boston Tea Party, but he was not a brewmaster.

The British viewed him as one of the most dangerous revolutionaries in America. He could have been arrested or executed for treason. Knowing that possible outcome, I would have had a beer or two myself if I had been in there planning the Boston Tea Party. But the individuals at that time understood the necessary sacrifices.

During World War II, the people of the United States understood sacrifice because they knew their freedom could be lost. Today, you hear complaints about temporarily high gas prices due to trying to remove nuclear threats from a country that will use them against anyone who opposes them without discernment.

I believe God has blessed our country — not because our Declaration of Independence and Constitution are perfect documents, but because they provide hope that some of these imperfections could be worked out, giving its citizens life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Understanding the threats to the Great Experiment throughout our country’s history
will help you see why I believe God has blessed this country.

In the early days of the Revolutionary War, our commander, Gen. George Washington, was defeated in the battle of Brooklyn. Washington and 9,000 Continental troops had their backs up against the East River, and Washington ordered a nighttime evacuation with the British army only 600 yards away. At daybreak, thousands of troops were still waiting to cross, including Washington. Remarkably, a thick fog settled over Brooklyn and the East River, allowing the army to safely cross the river with supplies. If Washington and his army had been captured, he would have been killed. With no army and no supplies, the experiment would have been gone with the wind. The signers of the Declaration of Independence would have met the same fate as Washington.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan attacked the Hawaiian Islands. With the Pacific naval fleet crippled, Japan had open access to the West Coast of the United States. Such an invasion would have given them a strong foothold in our country. With our limited military at that time, turning them away would have been almost impossible. But, strangely, Japan not only turned away from the West Coast, they even turned away from the Hawaiian Islands.

With these two events, and there are more, is the United States just lucky? I don’t think so. I believe God has not only blessed this country but protected it as well.

After 9/11, President George W. Bush asked American musician and singer Michael W. Smith to write a song about the country. The song he wrote was “There She Stands.” It is about the American flag, the ultimate symbol of this Great Experiment. Here are some of the song’s lyrics:

“When the night seems to say/ All hope is lost, gone away/ But I know I’m not alone/ By the light she stands/ There she waves, faithful friend/ Shimmering stars, westward wind/ Show the way, carry me/ To the place she stands/ Just when you think it might be over/ Just when you think the fight is gone/ Someone will risk his life to raise her/ There she stands.”

God bless the USA until the Creator returns. Happy Fourth of July.