A Reflection on July 4th

On July 4th, 1776, a small, defiant group of colonies declared their independence from the greatest empire in the world. With ink, fire, and blood, they rejected the weight of tyranny—a monarchy that taxed them without representation, silenced their voices, and controlled their lives from across an ocean.

That declaration, imperfect but powerful, stated something revolutionary: that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

But from the beginning, those words were uneven. They didn’t include everyone. Women were left out. Enslaved people were left out. Native nations were stripped of their lands, their rights, their existence in the story.

Still, the people kept fighting. The promise of July 4th was too bold, too important to abandon. Generation after generation, Americans have stood up to say: That freedom must belong to all of us. That tyranny, in any form—by crown or government, by law or custom, by silence or cruelty—must not stand.

Today, we still face injustice. Still see cruelty dressed as order. Still hear voices silenced, families divided, rights threatened. Still fight against power used to control rather than to serve.

So this Independence Day, we celebrate not just a past victory—but an ongoing struggle. A reminder that freedom was never finished in 1776. It’s something we build, protect, and insist on every single day.

Because the dream of America was not just to break from a king. It was to build a place where all people could live free.

We’re not there yet. But we keep marching toward it. Together.