July 4, 1776. Our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, which coincided with a stalemate on Long Island between the American Minute Men, and British and Hessian forces. After a bloody and depressing battle, American forces were forced to retreat under the cover of darkness because it was no longer feasible to hold Long Island. Commander-in-chief George Washington knew that a long, bloody, cold, sick and starving road lay ahead for his soldiers and forces.
On October 19,1781, after three weeks of siege in the city of Yorktown, the British and Hessian forces surrendered to the French and the Yankees. Dressed in new uniforms, the British and Germans threw down their arms, exasperated and livid with the way things had ended. Captain Baron Ludwig Von Closen, who belonged to General Rochambeau on the American side, later recalled, "In passing between the two armies, [the British] showed the greatest scorn for the Americans... for most of these unfortunate persons were clad in small jackets of white cloth, dirty and ragged, and a number of them were almost barefoot." Commander-in-chief George Washington wrote to the president of the Continental Congress that day, "I have the honor to inform Congress, that a reduction of the British Army under the Command of Lord Cornwallis, is most happily affected."
It had been a long six years of sleepless nights, lost battles, starvation, and hypothermia. The war officially lasted from 1775 to 1783. In 1783, the peace treaty with the British was signed, marking the official end of the Revolutionary War and the true beginning of "The United States of America." But for many American inhabitants, they became "The United States of America" the moment the Declaration of Independence was signed.
This day is more than an excuse to get drunk, grill out, wear your American flag bathing suit, and watch a fireworks display. It is more than a post on your Instagram of you with a beer in hand captioned, "'MERICA." While all these things are fine, and exactly the freedoms our forefathers fought for, this day should not be underplayed. Countless men and women are buried beneath the very ground we sleep, stand and play on.
The struggle for our Independence was long-sought and, honestly, quite terrible. The fact that our country exists is in itself a mere miracle. Countless things that should have finished us on the battlefield did not (I beseech you to brush up on your American and world history). Our tiny and large successes that led to our eventual freedom from British rule were often described as "the hand of God" and "providence" by soldiers and founding fathers alike. George Washington himself wrote, "By the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation."
So, let us not forget the beauty of our country, the struggle for its independence, and the glorious cause paid for by the blood of countless people. The next time you open your mouth to complain about our country, its leaders, and future leaders, remember that the very fact that you live here makes you one of the most privileged people in the world. From the riches of the landscape to the variation of people, I am proud and thankful to live in this "sweet land of liberty."
