Happy Fourth of July!

The Fourth of July holds an important place in history for America because it was the day that our founding fathers declared their independence from the British monarchy and sought to become an independent nation. From the signing of the document through the revolutionary war to the eventual formation of the country and its expansion, no other event has held as much unifying significance to the country as this one date. Sure there are historians who will argue that there are more important dates in history and despite the fact that the country is rather 'young' in comparison to longer established countries like Britain, Italy and the like, but still, in the short time that the country has been in existance, there have been changes that have affected the world and it can all be tied back to this date in history.

The British monarchy had been the face of the oppression felt by many of the colonists. The actual decisions may have been made by the King's advisors and all, but it's the ultimate authority that draws much ire in any timeframe, whether it is King George during the Revolutionary War or Saddam Hussein in the current war in Iraq. What is significant in the actions on the fourth of July is that it was one of the first times in history where a group of what were in essense, separate nations, unified to jointly protest and stand up to the unfair rules of the King. This was a significant action in and of itself because previously any smaller uprisings had been quelled due to overwhelming numbers and not enough support. What is significant in this case is that while there was some reluctance to rally against the King, there was enough action to ultimately stimulate the people into action.

What was of importance too was the first use of the media to foster support for the cause. 'The Shot Heard 'round the World' may not have killed more than a handful of people but the story was enough to raise the anger of the people. In reading accounts of the incident (that were undoubtedly blown out of proportion after repeated tellings) were enough to cement the fact that support for the war. From a handful of people, the media eventually had entire towns being killed and slaughtered during a peaceful rally. While this may have been true to a certain extent, it wasn't as much as it was a means of building momentum towards war. Why is this significant? Well becuase this is still being done even today. The media blitz we experienced in this country was enough at that time to convince most people that war in Iraq was not only required, but necessary.

However, the one glaring difference is that during the Revolution, we were fighting for our freedom. In Iraq we're fighting for the freedom of the Iraqi people. The motivation is a little different and so is the fervor in this case. Humans as a species are naturally self-centered so when confronted with such a choice, they will ask 'what's in it for me?'. In the case of the revolution it was the chance to be free and in Iraq it was to quell a dictator and staunch the possibility of an attack against us. Back in the early days of this country, the media continued to serve as the catalyst for continuing to foster support for the war by relating tales (real or exaggerated) of the victories of our army and how we were driving the British out.

We seem to be driving the British out of Iraq too but not because we're fighting them, but because support in Britain for the war is flagging just as it is here. In the Revolution we had a clear set of goals. Drive out the British and establish our own form of government. In Iraq we sort of had the same thing. Drive out Saddam Hussein and establish a government. Unfortunately the one major difference is that we didn't really ever see the difference between democracy in America and democracy in a country where religion has played a part in government from the beginning of recorded history. Because of this, the end goal is sort of muddled. Will Iraq eventually have a date of significance like the Fourth of July? Possibly. But one thing is certain, it isn't the same as it was back then.