Published 4:13 pm Wednesday, July 3, 2024 By The Daily News BY Chris Adams Independence Day isn’t just a day for fireworks, hot dogs, and an overreliance on booze to make a family gathering somewhat enjoyable. If we are willing to be curious, it can be an opportunity to think about the deeper meaning of freedom and inspire us to make it more than just an ideal. We can make it a reality.
When I think about freedom, the question comes to mind: “What are we free from?” If you asked the original Revolutionaries, they would tell us it’s freedom from tyranny. Their fight was against an empire that, according to the early founders, oppressed the settlers of the colonies and kept an imperial boot on their necks. That’s the story that we have told since the late 1700’s, and it has informed how we understand our identity as Americans.
But we, as a society, have the power to shape this narrative. We are the ones who won’t stand for tyranny and oppression. We are the ones who will stand up and fight against any and all comers who think their ideologies should supplant the basic freedoms outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
That’s a good story, but history is more complex than that simplistic reduction of our tale of independence. I don’t need to remind you that, at the time of the writing of the Declaration of Independence, freedom was a possession of white men. Chattel slavery was raging, and women couldn’t vote or own property when our f.
