The World According to EDW

We are frequent visitors to Colonial Williamsburg, and every time I go there, I am struck by the bravery and courage of the men who birthed my nation. Sometimes we watch the classic yet slightly cheesy Story of a Patriot, starring Jack Lord. Sometimes we attend a special program, like a conversation with Patrick Henry. Or maybe we simply wander around and let the daily events unfold around us. Whatever we do, it's history recreated, and it's hard not to get swept up into it.

But this isn't an advertisement for Colonial Williamsburg, although I'm not above shilling for them on my blog. No, it's an acknowledgement of what it meant to the drafters and signers of the Declaration of Independence, what it meant to the people left behind at home, the men who elected their representative to the Continental Congress. And of course, the people of our nation who had no say in how it was run, but had to live with the decisions made.

I don't think we can ever truly understand what it was like for these men of courage and foresight, nor do I think we can ever be thankful enough to live in a country of free elections and a governing document that allows for changes. We are incredibly blessed.

It's funny that we celebrate this historic event, the birth of our nation, by eating too much and drinking and setting off booming displays. It's exactly how our forefathers celebrated holidays. Maybe they didn't head to Lowe's to fix up the house, but they did love to eat and drink and light things on fire. And they loved their marching bands.

There are so many ways that we can access the best historical research to better understand the forces that formed our nation, the people who signed and ratified the Declaration of Independence. We can go to so many places and hear from interpreters, we can read books, we can sit on our couches and watch the History Channel. I do all these things, gladly, and I come to the same conclusions each time.

There were a lot of different voices yelling out their particular concerns. They were imperfect people. They had a hard job, lots of restrictions, and plenty of things working against them, like money and weather and space. Some of them were brave, some boisterous, some brilliant. Some were just a pain in the ass. But somehow, all this diversity learned to work together. And they set such a lovely example amid the turmoil, that I can never lose faith in us to do the same.

Happy Independence Day.