Yes, this is the Fourth of July

"This is the Fourth?"

—Last words of Thomas Jefferson, 1826

"Thomas Jefferson still lives."

—Last words of John Adams, 1826

Yes, this is the Fourth, the 233rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Perhaps the most significant celebration of this holiday was the reopening of the crown of the Statue of Liberty. Access to the crown, with its extraordinary view of New York Harbor, had been closed since Sept. 11, 2001. At the First Fridays on the Lawn in front of the Wilson County Public Library last night, an effort was made to recognize those serving in the Armed Services or their families. Tonight, fireworks will be ignited at the Wilson Tobs game and at hundreds of other places across the state.

Do American really know how to celebrate the Fourth? Although the Founding Fathers suggested fireworks as a means of celebrating the Fourth, the connection between fireworks and the Declaration of Independence seems lost on most Americans. Military personnel, as much as they deserve our recognition and gratitude, are not an essential part of this holiday (honor them on Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Armed Forces Day). Even the News & Observer, which publishes the Bill of Rights each Independence Day, can't seem to understand that the Fourth of July has nothing to do with the Bill of Rights, which was not ratified until 15 years after the Declaration was signed July 4, 1776. Periodically, someone will do a survey of "ordinary Americans," asking them whether they support such things as the right of people to "alter or abolish" a government with which they disagree, or the concept that political rights are "endowed" by God. Inevitably, majorities or large pluralities of respondents oppose the principles laid out in the Declaration of Independence.

Perhaps, along with the fireworks, cookouts, retail sales and family gatherings that have come to mark the sacred Fourth, Americans should celebrate by absorbing a little education about what the Declaration is all about. Copies are available from numerous sources, including here. At every celebration in each small town, city or neighborhood, the Declaration should be read, particularly its first two and final paragraphs. In those paragraphs, Thomas Jefferson proclaimed the principles of self-government and individual rights, and the signatories of the document pledged "our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." They risked everything for the principles of the Declaration.

This is the Fourth. Remember what it's all about.