Jefferson Graveside Oration for July 4th 2010
Monticello, VA
Mark R. Day
Good Morning to each of you (other comment as appropriate about the
weather etc.) I thank Lee for the
wonderful introduction which he has afforded me
this morning and I also want to thank the Sons of the American
Revolution for granting me the opportunity to speak today. As I began to prepare my comments, I sought
to read what had been written on the topic of July Fourth in the past. I needed to gain a sense of the importance the
4th of July held throughout the history of our nation, and how this day has
come to be a springboard for the expansion of political, social, and
economic innovation. Today, I have taken comments made by men such as Thomas Jefferson, Frederick
Douglas, Walt Whitman, and John F. Kennedy as my illustrations for proving the enduring
power of the 4th of July to educate Americans about democracy.
Now you can well imagine that the language and focus of these earlier
orations were as varied as the personalities of those men who made them. However,
there are common themes which emerge from the comments of these great Americans. I have placed these themes into two clear categories. The
First of these categorizations is the call to resist oppression. This theme was championed by both Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Douglas throughout their
lives and we shall hear their words spell out the need for continued resistance
to oppression in every form. The second theme speaks of the traditional ideals embodied in the spirit of our American
Character . Walt Whitman and John F.
Kennedy are men who understood that spirit and character all too well, having
both seen the hardship and sacrifice of war as well has the human ability to transcend
the suffering and emerge a stronger people for it. My object today shall be to use the words of
these four men to quicken our spirit and enliven our love of liberty.
What better setting could be found to begin a discussion of the call to fight
against oppression, than this hallowed place where the spirit of Thomas
Jefferson has found eternal rest, {use
arms to emphasize the location}. Our surroundings stirring, within our hearts, the
memory of the nation's founding and the emancipation of America from Great
Britain.
Very near the end of his life, on June 24th 1826, Thomas Jefferson wrote
a commentary on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. In that letter Jefferson said that he hoped , " July 4 be to the world, what I believe it
will be -- to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all -- the
signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and
superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings
and security of self-government. For Jefferson the 4th of July was a day to remember not just the act of
declaring independence but a day upon which, we would renew our commitment to the
philosophical ideals behind the document he had written. Jefferson understood that such ceremony
would be necessary to educate succeeding
generations of Americans in the essential
principles of our government, the
importance of individual rights and the
value of self government {popular sovereignty}.
In the concluding paragraph of his
letter of June 24th, Jefferson further advised, that the duty of every citizen is to be vigilant
and involved in constraining the power of government by making it the servant
of the people. His strong beliefs are revealed
by the final four sentences of his
letter in which he talks about the relationship between the government and its people as well as the need
for celebration of the fourth of July. "All eyes are open, or
opening, to the rights of man. The
general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable
truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs
nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the
grace of God. These are grounds of hope
for others. For ourselves let the annual
return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an
undiminished devotion to them." This is
the proof of Jefferson's innovation and
legacy to democracy. He opened eyes to
the idea of individual rights by taking the ideals of the enlightenment, such as
popular sovereignty and individual liberty and creating a new sense of
entitlement in the American people and the world as a whole. His work gave rise to a physical sense of
freedom not just an ideological one.
This was what the world would come to emulate and America celebrate.
The fact that we are here today celebrating for the 235th time the pronouncement
of the Declaration of independence is the proof that Jefferson's commentary was
correct in saying the first 4th of
July firmly established the reasons for
the celebration and the importance of the day in our lives.
Twenty-six years later Frederick Douglas,
in his 1852 fourth of July Speech, gave
us another interpretation of the importance of the fourth of July by saying
that the spirit of the Fourth of July was similar to the celebration of
Passover for the Jewish people.
Douglas had been asked to speak in commemoration of Independence Day and spoke eloquently saying
that by claiming the right of
Independence from Great Britain the founders were delivering political,
economic, and personal freedom for Americans.
He reminded the listeners that as Jefferson had stated, for the first
time people would have, the freedom
{self determination} and protections to secure the course of their individual lives . Douglas then went on to say the founders understood
that government could become tyrannical if it were thought to be
infallible. They, the founders, broke from Great Britain and because they felt
oppressed, became restive, and saw themselves as victims of oppression by a
government which no longer represented their best interest. Douglas said "the Declaration of Independence is the
RINGBOLT to the chain of your nation's destiny: so indeed, I regard it. The principles contained in that instrument
are saving principles. Stand by those principles,
be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at
whatever the cost." In the
light of current events and the issues of our own times we need to be reminded
that the founders had sought to promote
a nation in which justice, humanity, and liberty were the final word. However
as Frederick Douglas's speech progressed
he used the day to open a dialogue on the issue of slavery, another form of
oppression and forced servitude of the people.
He used his declaration day speech to awaken people to the plight of
Africans and the fundamental unfairness of slavery by comparing the nation of
justice, conceived by the founders, to the reality of his time. Douglas asks " What, to the American
slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all
other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the
constant victim" . By
bringing forth the issue on the 4th of July Douglas brought the people of the
United States face to face with the fact that the nation was not following the
ideals of the founders. Through his
speech Douglas established the fourth of July as a time when we can be
introspective and evaluate the condition of our Union, be conscious of the realities of our times, and seek to emulate the founders when dealing with the issues which trouble our nation and
world. Much of the world has accepted Jefferson's ideas and heard , as
Jefferson says, "the signal of arousing men to
burst the chain . . . and to assume the blessings and security of self-government as evidenced by
the spread of self government." The speech by Douglas is the
perfect example of Jefferson's legacy of eye opening. Douglas is calling for throwing off the saddle
of slavery , and Mr. Jefferson was right
in believing , all men would seek to arise and burst the chains of
oppression. The American legacy of democracy and popular sovereignty demands
that today, as in the
past, that when we are called to stand
by the principles given to us by our founders we as a people do not lose sight
of those ideals upon which the nation was founded or forget our legacy as an
example of hope to the world. Failure to
do so would make Jefferson's statement "My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they
are in possession of, and which no other people on Earth enjoy." a
prophetic epitaph for shortsightedness and apathy. So today let us celebrate with passion the
resistance to oppression and the glorious example which was provided to all the people of the Earth through the
bravery and statesmanship of men such as Jefferson and Douglas.
Now having completed our examination of how the fourth of July has been
used as platform to call for resistance of oppression and let us turn to the review
the impact of tradition and the Fourth of July in molding the character of
Americas and our democracy. These
are intangibles, you cannot hold them in your hands, you cannot see them take
physical form. However they are relevant
in any discussion of what makes you an American and what are American beliefs
. These
are traits such as our democratic spirit and the traditional core values,
which were passed down over the generations and have molded our character. In the preface of his historic work
"Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman writes this of America "Here is not merely a
nation but a teeming nation of nations . . . Other states indicate themselves
in their deputies but the genius of the United States is in the common
people." Much has been
said and in recent years on the topic of core values. Our view of the world and the subsequent
reactions we have are filtered through these fundamental idea's and traditions
which I will simply call the American Character. Over the years writers and statesmen have
sought to distil these sacred truths into words. In the late nineteenth century poet Walt Whitman
identified the American spirit as a "deathless
attachment to freedom" that consisted of the following elements "a
fierceness when roused resentment, a curiosity which welcomed novelty, and wonderful sympathy. " In the twentieth century John F. Kennedy spoke of them as "classic
ideas rooted in religious freedom, enlightened idealism, patriotism, and
individualism." In both cases we are left with the notion that
the American spirit is one in which the beliefs of the people are in sync with
the fundamental principles of the founders.
The American spirit is distinct in the world and provides our people the
will to resist any attempt to impose injustice and limit freedom. The American spirit that has evolved would
be welcomed by Jefferson who once stated that the lack of such a spirit would lead to a lack of involvement and
blind trust in leaders and institutions,
which may not be able to govern themselves, lest be able to govern
others will lead to the failure of our republican form of government. We are required to ask questions and hold
government accountable to "We the People."
Then and now the American people
have lived by the principles and ideals of the founders and they these traits
have become a fixed element of our personal and national character. Americans will not accept tyranny in any
form and our idealism has been the
backbone of the expansion of democracy throughout the world. John F. Kennedy had stated that "religious freedom, enlightened idealism, patriotism, and
individualism " were they key components that defined the American
Character and if we take this to be the
modern concept of our national character, the following ideals would be evident. America rejects the repression of religious
faith in every form. One of the
earliest acts of legislation dealing with religion was Jefferson's Statutes of
Religious Freedom which, later influenced the creation of a constitutional clause
that says, Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of
religion. Second on the list of characteristics
would be patriotism. Americans have a
deep sense of patriotism which is instinctual and has given them the unlimited
energy required to fight off despotism and totalitarianism, promote freedom,
and be willing to stand up for human rights where ever they have been found to
exist. Lastly Individualism has become a keystone of American character. Individualism supports freedom of thought,
freedom of self expression, and freedom of worship. For Americans the right to hold different
opinions or the right to put those opinions forward is essential . In his 1946 speech John Fitzgerald Kennedy,
then seeking office as Congressman from Massachusetts spoke on American
idealism saying "Our American idealism finds itself faced by the old world
doctrine of power politics . . . but if we remain faithful to the American tradition.
our idealism will be a steadfast thing, a constant flame, a torch held aloft
for the guidance of other nations. John
F. Kennedy used his fourth of July address to call for us to be faithful to our
traditions and principles, we must honor
that call. Some may say that the times
have changed, our traditions no longer are valid, or that we must conform to changing world
standards. To that we must unanimously
answer "No." Two Hundred and
Thirty four years ago Thomas Jefferson wrote a document, based on the sound
ideals, which became a beacon to the enslaved people of the world, One Hundred fifty- eight years ago Frederick
Douglas continued that tradition by calling attention to the slavery of
Africans, and Sixty-four years ago John F. Kennedy reminded us that these values were our lasting legacy. Are we to disregard all of that long history
out of right and forget the lesson because we have become complacent and
disinterested.
On July 3rd 1776 John Adams wrote
to his wife the following about the
passage of the Declaration of Independence "I am well aware of the toil, and
blood, and treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and
support and defend these states. Yet through the gloom, I can see the rays of
ravishing light and glory. I can see
that the end is more than worth all the means, and that posterity will triumph
in that day's transaction."
So today ,my fellow citizens, as we once again come together to
celebrate the birthday of our nation, like
John Adams two hundred thirty-four years ago we must see through the gloom and
hold to the truths of our heritage by continuing the fight to overcome
oppression, in whatever form it might take.
We must also resist the temptation to leave governance to the government
and preserve the power of the governed over the government, and we must be true
to the principles that are enshrined in our National Character. This is our duty as we celebrate the 4th of
July and the proper expression of honor to the founders and all who came after
them and expressions of honor.
Thank you for allowing me to speak
to you and may the God creator of the Universe bless you and our great country.
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