Nobody Remembers July 5, 1776
People remember the trail markers of history, not the trail.
July 5, 1776 began just like any other normal day, except that it wasn’t. For the first time in history, Americans woke up as Americans.
Granted, only a few realized their newfound freedom at the time.
Nobody talks about July 5, 1776 as an important date in American history because it wasn’t.
Its 24-hour predecessor — the one when a bunch of old white men signed a document in a stuffy room — that’s the one we celebrate year after year with bonfires, barbeques, and cheap beer.
July 4, 1776 was a step forward, but it certainly doesn’t deserve all of the credit. We still needed to beat the British, agree to a constitution, fight for civil rights and generally get along with each other among other things.
We celebrate July 4th as the day we earned our independence, but forget the days that followed which kept us free.
December 18, 1903 — another day shafted by its yesterday when two brothers from Ohio proved man could conquer the sky.
“Conquer” and “sky” both being a stretch when you consider the first flight flew 120 feet in 12 seconds over the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
