I must admit that when I was in high school, I didn’t pay much attention to U.S. history. The Stamp Act, the Boston Tea Party, the Continental Congress, George Washington, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, seemed like so much, I don’t know, old stuff, history if you will.

I guess I missed the point. In my defense, I was much more interested in what was happening during the 1970’s. As soon as school was out, I could cruise around in my mom’s four-door 1968 Corvair. I would roll the windows down, drive a little too fast and pretend it was a Corvette. With the AM radio blasting, I could blow off the stink of all those history classes. It was sweet freedom!

Current events dominated the nightly news and my life. The raging war in Vietnam, civil rights and women’s rights were frequent topics of news coverage, magazine covers, and heated family discussions. We baby boomers were booming! We were beating the drums of freedom, liberty, social justice, equality and change. I didn’t want to learn about old times; I was ready for new times.

Freedom. Liberty. Equality. Justice. America.

I’m not sure if we changed the world or if the world changed us. But once again today, I am reminded that life is a never-ending classroom (if I pay attention). Here we are in the middle of an election year. Temperatures and tempers are rising. Conspiracy theories about rigged elections are exhausting. Public discourse is downright ugly, and the mudslinging has begun (does it ever stop?). Politicians and political action committees are vying for your money and your vote. Corruption appears blatant and unchecked. Our precious democracy seems endangered.

So, how do we set aside our differences and come together as a nation to celebrate the 250^th anniversary of our independence?

For me, it’s back to the classroom. Reading and paying attention to our nation’s history this time. We didn’t magically become a nation when our founders signed the Declaration of Independence. We fought. We worked. We questioned. We reformed. And we continue to embrace necessary change.

But our Constitution remains steadfast. And as Americans we must defend it at all costs. Freedom of speech, freedom of and from religion, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to petition government to redress grievances are the things that make our nation great.

Simple. Honest. Powerful. America.

So, this year, as it approaches, I will contemplate the significance of our Independence Day and what it means to be an American.

I’m a flag-waving, patriotic progressive who gets misty-eyed hearing the “Star Spangled Banner”. I am humbled when I see people in uniform quietly serving our country and defending our freedom. I stand in solitary with the marginalized, victimized and under-served in our nation. I protest policies, laws and lawmakers with whom I disagree. We are a big, messy, diverse, collection of individuals that somehow make this experiment called Democracy work.

Now that’s sweet freedom!

Peace,

Denis

Woody Guthrie, who had lived through the Dust Bowl and worked as a migrant laborer, was deeply aware of how land and wealth were unevenly distributed. This song sought to assert that the land belonged to all people, not just the wealthy.