Published by Mariah Sturdivant
July 3rd, 2022
History
As you all know, the Fourth of July is coming up and the celebrations for America's independence will begin. However, whose independence exactly will be celebrated? Since not everyone was precisely free, that means that African Americans' reasons to honor the Fourth are, and should be extinguished. A clear-cut definition of the Fourth of July is, "A U.S holiday in commemoration of July 4th, 1776, the day on which the original 13 colonies of the United States declared independence from British rule with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence" (Dictionary.com).
To understand that even let's look at what the Declaration of Independence entails. One of the most famous lines of the Declaration of Independence comes from the preamble which is, "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.” This is by far one of the most ironic lines considering the fact that, during this time period, there were thirteen colonies that still legalized slavery. That means that they were still people being treated unequally who did not get to live a life with liberty or happiness, more special, black Americans did not have that right.
Thomas Jefferson was one of the first drafters, however, while he was writing about equality, he enslaved 1776 African American Americans in 1776. In fact, out of the fifty-six white property owners that signed the declaration, twenty-seven were slaveowners or had a hand in slave trades. Additionally, another line of the declaration was 'taxation without
representation which basically means that the Declaration of Inpendence
the British wanted to pass a law to pay taxes, but there was no elected representative in the British government. The Americans feared that having someone in power would reduce them to the same status as a 'slave', which is really full circle considering that they were enslaved people themselves. However, these history books always fail to get the full picture when it comes to the sacrifices and heroes of those that were enslaved.
Juneteenth
There were times when I was younger and I felt as if America's history was cut and concrete, however, my child-like knowledge soon dissolved as life went on. Now, since I know what I know now, I deem the Fourth of July as one of the worst holidays being celebrated in America due to the terrible effects that it has on my culture. Instead, I have reverted to celebrating Juneteenth as a day of independence in my culture. Even though it was not until recently that I learned the history of Juneteenth, I am so glad that there is a holiday dedicated to Black Americans. Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19th, and it is the day that enslaved emancipation was announced in 1865. Recently, President Joe Bidden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day law which recognizes Junteteeth as the newest federal holiday.
There are different ways to celebrate Juneteenth. There are barbecues, rodeos, food trucks, street fairs and so much more! I have already created Huneteenth a couple of times and to see my people come together on such an important day shows how important the holiday is.
The False History of America
So, instead of celebrating the Fourth, I think, as Americans, we should reflect on the dark history that comes with it. The false facade that America is such a 'great' nation because of its history. Let's not forget that some of that history is not good. That history is tainted and no longer pure. To not include the real experiences of African Americans in history, shows how unorthodox American History is. Juneteenth really shines the light on the important aspects of African Americans' contribution to society. The wars, labor, and vigorous work that African Americans put into society and the economy should never go overlooked, and that is exactly what celebrating the Fourth of July represents.
It represents a blind eye to the truth. One thing I am proud about in my culture, however, is during the trials and tribulations, black Americans always rise to the occasion. Whether it be in music, sports, science, etc. we always prove people wrong and it has been proven time and time again throughout history. It is clear that Black history and black experiences the real history in this nation. So instead of popping fireworks, take a second thought and think about who you are really celebrating and the insignificance of it.
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