July 4th this year should be a day of national celebration as our country reaches 250 years of the Declaration of Independence. There will certainly be parades, backyard picnics, fireworks, the Star and Stripes, and of course apple pie. But something will be missing or at least in short supply — patriotic spirit. There is a bit of a funk in the air on this birthday of independence. Amidst the usual holiday hoopla there will be grumbling and complaining over failed promises, boring lectures on “Making America Great Again” and even deeper levels of division and polarization in a nation that claims to be the world’s greatest democracy. A distant unsettled war, ever-expanding price increases, and that new word in the national lexicon — affordability — has led to a country of disillusioned citizens as trust in government is near rock bottom (only 33% of Americans trust the national government to do what is right) and support for national leaders is best described by the poll-derived word “disapproval.” (President Trump’s disapproval rate is currently wavering between 58% and 62%.) It should come as no surprise that there is a clear connection between national funk and patriotic spirit.
This disheartening spirit among Americans this 4th has created a sad decline in what was once the defining principle of our citizenry — personal freedom. Freedom is often cited as the source of national pride in our country. Yet, for example, freedom and pride among the key political institutions are, to say the least, weak. Although Republicans accent freedom as the source of their national pride to a much larger degree than those identifying as Democrats (32% of Republicans to 15% of Democrats), both are modest numbers. Moreover, recent polling by the Gallup organization shows that despite the importance of freedom, only 33% of respondents describe themselves as “extremely proud” of being a freedom-loving American, a drop of 22 percentage points since 2001 when the question of national pride was first asked. And in a follow-up question about what makes citizens proud of America, about 20% of the respondents mentioned something negative about the country — they were previously proud of being American but are no longer proud because of certain freedom-limiting public policies or governmental leaders. Also, the lack of pride in America increases significantly when examining the younger Generation Z who don’t appear to have the patriotic spirit that dominated older generations, as only 41% of the younger generation described themselves as “extremely” or “very” patriotic.
Even though there are limitations on defining the sources and extent of national pride, there are other examples of how Americans have lost their way in expressing love of country. Sports-loving fans have a difficult time remembering the words to the National Anthem or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance with hand on their heart in a classroom setting or at a meeting. And when the founding fathers wrote that “all men are created equal” and that our Creator endowed us with “inalienable rights” among those are “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness,” many of us don’t agree on what these words mean in everyday life and how they should be implemented by governing authorities. Furthermore, the word “We” often appears in our public documents (“We hold these truths to be self-evident” in the Declaration and “We the People” in the Preamble to the Constitution), suggesting national unity. But unity of the people is more of an unrealized dream rather than a reality. “We” as Americans remain deeply divided, and as a result achieving an expanded and deep-seated sense of pride and patriotism is difficult.
There are those who feel that the Trump administration diminished the cherished words of the Declaration of Independence by holding a cage-fighting match on the South Lawn of the White House or building a ceremonial arch as a gateway to the city with a golden fist as a symbol of the President’s call to “ Fight, Fight” against the enemies of his administration. It is a challenge to develop a sense of national pride when the words, actions and symbols used by the President downplay the values and visions expressed by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, the writers of this famous document. These were great men who recognized the importance of a government of separation of powers, the rule of law, democratic elections, and individual rights. They were not perfect men, but they were determined to create a new form of government without kings and lords.
The Declaration of Independence is a serious document of freedom and justice and has become a spiritual guide for generations of Americans. In past years when citizens entered the National Archives to see the Declaration, a quiet hush often filled the room as Americans viewed this document with great pride and admiration. But today when the events defining the celebration become a political rally, a circus sideshow and a venue for self-praise rather than a cause for thoughtful reflection of what this nation stands for and hopes to accomplish, then pride and patriotic spirit are weakened. July 4th should be a time of celebration in the traditional modes of fun and family. But July 4th should also be a time of great national pride and patriotism because the document we all celebrate lays out what we as a people stand for: freedom, equality, justice and democracy. It is vital for all Americans to remember why we celebrate the 4th of July. Pride and patriotism are not in free fall, but these important foundations of our democracy do require a sense of renewal and a spiritual reawakening based on the values and vision expressed by the founders. The celebration should certainly not be a showcase for narcissism and self-aggrandizement.