GERRI WILLIS: The fireworks are over. Now visit the places where America became free
The fireworks are over, and the red, white and blue bunting has been put away.America’s Fourth of July celebration of our 250th anniversary is now just a memory.
But this summer’s celebration of our founding won’t be the last.The party will continue, and it may even get bigger.In the coming years, celebrations will mark Revolutionary War battles in Boston, New York and Yorktown that came after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Americans will have a chance to hear about patriots they may never have known.As a Southerner, I especially look forward to seeing patriots like Francis Marion, called the Swamp Fox, and Thomas Sumter, the Gamecock, celebrated in South Carolina.Long-forgotten battles such as Kings Mountain, Guilford Court House, Camden and Eutaw Springs — where Americans bent the course of history in the South and ultimately won — will also be commemorated.ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG AT BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL SITE UNCOVERS REVOLUTIONARY WAR ARTIFACTSWe would do well to keep our revolutionary heritage in mind.
Historians describe the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence, beginning with the phrase, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal ...," as the most consequential sentence not just in American history, but for nations around the globe.America’s revolution inspired people around the world to depose despots and kings.Jefferson’s words created a new understanding of government based on equality, natural rights and the consent of the governed.
They were a spark for revolutions across the world.Ultimately, 100 nations would incorporate the Declaration’s ideals.
From France to Mexico, Chile and Haiti, and decades later in Czechoslovakia and Korea, the document was copied and emulated.I learned of this legacy at the Museum of the American Revolution, which is hosting an incredible exhibit about the Declaration’s journey around the world.If you are in Philadelphia, I highly encourage you to ...