We celebrate the Fourth of July as Independence Day because that is the date credited for when the Declaration of Independence was signed. The signing of the Declaration also represented the beginning of an experiment that the world had not witnessed before. It was the initial step in the creation of the first true democracy where people would be self-governed by officials they elected.
Many view the Declaration as the origin of the American dream. The ideas enshrined within it stating that all people are created equal and have an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were an inspiration for James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book “The Epic of America.” Adams wrote of a “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” He noted that the American dream is one “where each man and each woman shall be able to be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of their social class, financial situation, or other circumstances.”
We sometimes forget that America itself was a dream that few could have imagined. No nation in the world existed previously or has since that has welcomed so many different nationalities, races and religions. No country previously had put forward a document such as the Declaration of Independence that outlined such a bold vision, nor had any nation sought to guarantee certain rights to its citizens as the Constitution.
With the birth of our nation, many in the world believed that the concept of democracy would be a short-lived one and America would revert to being like other nations where there was a ruling class or an autocratic form of government.
The concept of people truly self-governing themselves was deemed foolish and naïve by leaders of other nations. Allowing common people to choose their own representatives and have those individuals serve in elected bodies and determine the laws that would guide our nation was viewed as foolhardy. Having an overall leader known as a president be elected and serve for a specific period of time was unheard of.
Against all odds, our nation did survive and with it the American dream, which is different for every one of us. It is not one dream but many. The fact that we can dream and have hope makes America unique.
At the heart of the American dream are faith, hope and optimism. It offers us faith in a nation that provides us the opportunity to chart our own course rather than have our lives dictated by others. It allows us to hope that we can achieve our dreams despite all odds and whatever station that we started from in life. It enables us to be optimistic that while we may be struggling today, our country offers many opportunities and assistance, and better days may be ahead.
The American dream is also one of second chances. Many people stumble or fall during their lives, but our nation offers fresh starts. Many of our people first failed but through diligence and hard work later succeeded.
We are a nation that roots for the underdog, possibly because our nation started as one in the Revolutionary War and many who came to our shores were outcasts or refugees from other lands.
Our nation and people have come a long way in trying to fulfill the lofty goals set forth in the Declaration of Independence, and we also continue to strive to improve toward adhering to those principles and in so doing offer all of our citizens the ability to realize their own American dream.
Greg Fulton is a New Castle native living in Denver.
