Independence Day. The name itself just has a nice Orwellian ring, doesn’t it? A day set aside for citizens to unite under one common flag and pay tribute to those who helped usher in an unprecedented era of freedom and prosperity.For many, July 4 marks an anniversary of individual liberation from governmental oppression and subjugation. Freedom, of course, is always worth celebrating. And the defiant courage that many of our founders displayed in fighting political authoritarianism should certainly be honored for their ground-breaking impact on society.But, more importantly, July 4 gives us an opportunity to analyze our collective progress or, as some might rightly argue, lack thereof.More than 200 years ago the founding fathers wisely determined an overbearing government was the greatest threat to a free society.Yet now we see what started as the small government in history has now spiraled into one of the world’s largest and most imperious authoritative regimes.Given today’s political climate, it seems as though, rather than saying “thank you,” we should instead be demanding an apology from our so-called leaders for hijacking the philosophical triumph of individual liberty and fooling people into thinking that they themselves are somehow responsible bearers of freedom.The entire reason for holidays like this is for us to recognize the lessons we’ve learned from the past, not perpetuate previous mistakes into the future.Just because we take pride in the American values of freedom and sovereignty doesn’t mean we should automatically take pride in what our nation has transformed into.The most important message Americans should recognize this July 4 is the very same one our founders accepted 233 years ago: Our nation’s current crises are a failure of statism, not freedom and voluntarism.The lie so many seem to have accepted is that either government coercion doesn’t exist or that, if it does, it’s somehow paradoxically necessary for maintaining and securing our freedom.This myth cannot come to rest soon enough.The fundamental problem is not merely the vast expansion of government, but the very existence of an all-sovereign, all-powerful authority.Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil for every one who is striking at the root.”Tea parties and other civil demonstrations may be well intended. But revolutionary change won’t actually occur until citizens stop trying to reform our broken system and start trying to transform our culture towards a truly free and voluntary society.As long as we think our freedom is someone else’s to give, we’ll never be able to stand up for ourselves when it starts getting stripped away.The greatest tribute we can make to the heroes of our past, then, is to boldly stand for individuality and liberty and bravely stand against any person or institution that gradually attempts to pry that freedom away.So happy birthday, America. But forgive me if I don’t attend your little gala.
 
Scott Burns is a 20-year-old political science and business major from Baton Rouge.
 
 
—–Contact Scott Burns at [email protected]