Events 2008
U.S. Embassy Celebrates Independence Day
July 2, 2008 - Remarks, as prepared, of Michael Gallagher, United States Chargé d’Affaires a.i., at the U.S. Embassy's official Independence Day reception.
Distinguished Guests, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Today we mark a special day in American history. Today we celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which was written and signed on July 4, 1776, in my home town of Philadelphia. This is a day of patriotic celebration and family events which will be held throughout our country and around the world where Americans might live. In the words of our Founding Father John Adams – who was also our first Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands - this holiday is “the great anniversary festival. …commemorated as the day of deliverance …. …solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other…”
And it is. Many of us here today remember so well fireworks displays in the smallest American towns or our largest cities that mark July 4th, or we have attended a picnic or barbecue to unite with family and friends on this most patriotic of days. This is a special day for all Americans. This year in the Netherlands, the United States Mission is hosting our national day reception in The Hague on July 2nd, and most fittingly, on the US Naval ship Elrod in Amsterdam harbor on July 4th.
Yesterday on the phone I spoke with Ambassador-Designate James Culbertson and his wife Germaine. They regret not being able to be here today to celebrate our great national holiday – our confirmation process takes some time to complete. But that will be done in another week or so, and they will arrive at the beginning of August. They specifically asked me to send you their best wishes, and to let you know how much they look forward to meeting and working with you all, as they take up their new duties.
So in addition to family gatherings and fireworks, how do Americans celebrate our national day? Across the United States on July 4, civic leaders at all levels will quote the striking words of the Declaration of Independence, and millions of our fellow citizens will reflect on our freedom and liberties.
Most Americans know much of the Declaration of Independence by heart, strong words written by Thomas Jefferson, with the help of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Those works belong to us all, because they represent the essence of what our country means.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
In these few words, Jefferson captured the enduring principles of our nation. And countless other people around the world continue to quote his words to express the ideals of democratic government.
Talking about patriotism on another occasion, Thomas Jefferson remarked that there is “a debt of service due from every man to his country, proportioned to the bounties which nature and fortune have measured to him.” I believe this to be true, and I also believe, like Jefferson, that being an American citizen is a privilege -- whether you are a descendant of Pilgrims who left Leiden in 1620 and journeyed to Massachusetts, or 19th Century Irish immigrants eager for a new life, like my grandparents, or whether you just arrived yesterday.
Citizenship is more than an accident of birth or an act of naturalization; it brings with it an obligation to uphold and defend the values of freedom, justice, and democracy that make Americans, in all our diversity, one nation. I would go so far as to say, like Abraham Lincoln, that these values are universal; Lincoln said, "Liberty was given not alone to the people of this country, but to the world, and for all time."
Like Jefferson and Lincoln, we recognize that America is not perfect. To be faithful to our Declaration of Independence and to our legacy, we recognize that we still have much to do. But we have hope and faith in the future because we also recognize that our system of government, “by the people and for the people”, is designed to correct injustices and make ours an ever more perfect union.
Thank you for joining us today to celebrate that journey.