Celebrating independence with fireworks signifies the presence of an unequivocal spirit of freedom. On South Bass Island, businesses and supporters sponsor a brilliant display from a barge in Put-in-Bay harbor. This special event underscores the privileges and opportunities which we derive from our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his 1941 message to Congress, identified “four essential human freedoms”: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear. Our wish for all is to live a meaningful, fulfilling, and peaceful life blessed by the unique liberties of American Independence. Happy 4th!
For an in-depth discussion pertinent to independence, visit Lapham’s Quarterly, a literary magazine which examines a theme using primary source material from history. The Spring 2023 issue addresses freedom thoroughly. It is worth reading because it hones our understanding of “Enlightenment.” This is the “range of ideas centered on the value of human happiness, the pursuit of knowledge obtained by means of reason and the evidence of the senses, and ideals such as natural law, liberty, progress, toleration, fraternity, constitutional government, and separation of church and state,” as The Britanica Dictionary explains.