On July 4, 2022, I wrote a post about Independence Day. At the time I believed that Americans were as divided as they ever could be — two groups peering at each other across the deepest chasm possible. I was wrong. Over the past four years, the division has grown more bitter, the chasm deeper. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can, and must, return to our roots. We must remember that America was designed for interdependence as much as for independence.
Consider the country’s name, which declares that individual entities (States) are made one (United). The same ideal appears in America’s traditional self-definition (melting pot) and motto (E Pluribus Unum — “Out of many, one“). The Preamble to the Constitution begins “We the people,” emphasizing unity.
Of course, the 18th-century people granting themselves rights in the Constitution excluded many Americans. In the Preamble, the Founders acknowledged that their work was flawed, declaring that they were striving for a Union that was more perfect — not actually perfect. And despite their shortcomings, the Founders’ goals were worthy: “to establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” Note the capitalization: In the colonial era, writers employed upper case for emphasis. The capitalized words of the Preamble reveal that the Founders aimed for Justice, Tranquility, Welfare, Blessings, Liberty, and Posterity. Not a bad slate of goals.
Bearing these points in mind, I suggest that instead of focusing on the Declaration of Independence on this, the document’s 250th birthday, we instead celebrate the Preamble to the United States Constitution. At the very least, the Preamble’s minimal length (52 words) allows more time for barbecues. At best, the Preamble may prompt us to rededicate ourselves to Interdependence, to the notion that what’s good for All of us is good for Each of us. (Colonial capitalization intended.) With the Preamble as a focus, this divisive era may become less so, and a “more perfect Union” may be achieved. Happy July 4th!