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Independence Day

I was looking for an example of writing that reflects my personal feeling about this day of commemoration. Something that encapsulates the true spirit of the American Revolution and the ideas of its grand figureheads and those who guided them. I believe I have found it in this essay from the Baltimore Sun, entitled "Celebrate the patriotism of dissent". A passage:

With the measured reason often necessary to balance Adams' passion, Jefferson instructed us that Independence Day is a day for celebratory reflection. It is a day not for chest-thumping martial ardor and jingoism, but for honoring and giving renewed life to the ideas that made the Declaration of Independence what it is: an "expression of the American mind," the philosophical foundation for our idealized way of life and a beacon for those everywhere who aspire to govern themselves democratically.

I hope everyone will take a moment today and read the full essay by Gregory D. Foster.
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