Brett HerrmannNewsTribune Reporter
To quote Creed Bratton of The Office (the American version, obviously) I already won the lottery. I was born in the US of A, baby.
Where would Creed or any of us be today if it hadnt been for a group of rabble-rousers who decided to draw up an announcement of sovereignty?
The Declaration of Independence was drafted 11 score and 19 years ago. Its older than the hot- air balloon, crackers and the suspension bridge. It also started a revolution, which *Spoiler Alert* we won. Even after all these years, this document is held sacred among the people of this country. Its a national treasure that even Nick Cage thought worth stealing. Its a document that still has an effect on life in America to this day, some ways more visible than others.
Pursuit of Marital HappinessThe famous lines about our unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, are some of the most celebrated written words in American history. This past week the Supreme Court made a decision that will help protect these rights.
Across the country, many people rejoiced at the high-court decision to legalize same-s*x marriage. The announcement was a long time coming as many states were beginning to follow the trend of legalizing it on the state level.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that under constitutional protection couples of the same-s*x may not be deprived of that right and that liberty.
Illinois Valley Community College political science professor Amanda Cook-Fesperman saw this pursuit of liberties as something that has always been relevant in America, in every civil action that has taken place since we became a nation.
We have come a long way in this country toward reaching that goal, through Lincolns struggle to end slavery, Alice Pauls struggle for womans suffrage, Dr. Kings struggle for civil rights, and now to the gay rights struggle for equal rights, Cook-Fesperman said.
President Lincoln saw the Declaration as a document that placed men as equals. He even argued that the Declaration is a set of principles that the U.S. Constitution should be inferred through. The justices that interpret the Constitution happened to agree.
Lincoln believed firmly in the words of the Declaration of Independence, five members of the Supreme Court echoed them last week, Cook Fesperman said. The decision to make same-s*x marriage legal passed with a 5-4 vote. The decision furthers the rights of any American who wishes to pursue marital happiness.
Human RightsJoe Furlan, a Hall High School history teacher, saw the Declaration as the backbone of American heritage.
It is what our heritage is based on. It set the tone for everything we have done after that. We became the United States because of that document, Furlan said.
Lincoln saw the Declaration in the same way. He used it as his jumping off point for one of the greatest speeches in American history, the Gettysburg Address. The speech touched on the issues of equality, that all men are created equal. Lincoln saw the declaration as a document that laid out our basic human rights as citizens of this country, rights that every person is allotted, no matter their differences.
Art Havenhill, a local Tea Party organizer, agreed with the politics of Mr. Lincoln.To my mind what that says is that those rights are given to us by our creator, and that they are rights that no man can take away, he said.
The Declaration also states that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it. The Declaration was a declaration from freedom of tyranny, Havenhill said.This is a right we still hold today. If the government becomes too oppressive, the citizens of the United States have the authority to overthrow it. It is actually something Thomas Jefferson expected when he said, A little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.
Havenhill agreed that it was our right to resist an oppressive government, although he said rebel might not be the best word. A less violent way would be more suiting in todays society, such as a petition, which is essentially what the Declaration was.
Complaints DepartmentThe majority of the Declaration of Independence is a list of complaints the founding fathers had against Parliament and King George III. The authors of the document voiced their opinions on how their government had wronged them. Today we share this right to suggest areas our government can improve upon.
We can air our grievances just like the Continental Congress did. Except now we dont have to worry about being hanged for treason.
Furlan said the political party system could be improved upon.
Party politics have become front and center lately. I want to see the politicians be more for the people, he said.
Havenhill said the main flaw in our system of government is a deficiency in participation among the voters.
One of the most severe problems we have today is the lack of involvement. We have very few people determining who gets elected. Our system of government is set up to be a system of participation, he said.
HempOne reason we have to thank for the longevity of the Declaration of Independence is that it was written on hemp paper. Hemp is a very durable material that doesnt deteriorate as quickly as wood-pulp paper, according to the living tree paper company.
Section 7606 of the farm bill has made it legal to grow industrial hemp under the direction of state departments and four year agriculture programs at universities. The bill was signed in 2014 and the hemp can only be grown for research purposes. Trudy Kriven, a professor of material sciences and engineering at the University of Illinois, has expressed interest in researching the material for its uses in car composites.
The strongest natural fiber is hemp, Kriven said.
Hemp became outlawed in America due to its relation to the marijuana plant. In recent years, hemp has made its way back into favorable light in the community because of its many uses. People often associate hemp with the psychoactive component THC, but industrial hemp can only have a concentration of 0.3 percent THC compared to medicinal marijuana, which can be up to 35 percent, according to the Indiana Hemp Industries Association. Hemp wont give you the reefer madness that 1950s public service announcements warned us about.
I have no idea how to get marijuana out of it. Im more interested in getting the strong fibers, Kriven said.
Today 21 states follow the same regulations as Illinois where hemp can be grown for research purposes. There are thousands of different uses for hemp including clothing, industrial materials, personal hygiene and it is considered a super food.
The crop has been used in America throughout history from its use in colonial times for every-day necessities, to the Hemp for Victory program in World War II, which helped supply rope and parachutes, up until its ban in the 1950s.
Fun Fact: Eight of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were not born in America. These American patriots were actually British citizens. How is that relevant today? Many biopics of American heroes have British born actors playing the staring roles. Last year there was Unbroken, the year before 12 Years a Slave and before that Lincoln. All of these films had British actors playing the roles of American legends.
BeerSamuel Adams, a founding member of the Sons of Liberty, signed the Declaration of Independence. One of the most popular beers in the United States is Samuel Adams, the Boston Lager in particular. Their current seasonal beer is a summer ale, which has a lemon finish to it. Beer sales during the Fourth of July tend to skyrocket and why not?
The founding fathers probably werent sitting around drinking water when they celebrated their independence. That might be because people were known to die by drinking from polluted water sources. Today the tradition of alcohol consumption continues.
This is probably the best beer selling weekend of the year, said Ted Biagioni, operational manager at Euclid Beverage. Its better than Memorial Day and the holidays. We sell twice as much this weekend.
Biagioni said the summer months had a direct effect on the number of sales.Its all about the weather, he said.
The only thing slowing them down is the flooding. Biagioni said Euclid hasnt been able to make sales or deliveries to the boat clubs or other establishments close to the river because of the high waters.
The Founding Fathers had a reputation for running up enormous bar tabs. Celebrate the Declaration with a beer that has the namesake of one of the signers. Or drink whatever you want. Its a free country.
Brett Herrmann can be reached at (815) 220-6933 or svreporter@newstrib.com. Follow him on Twitter @NT_SpringValley.
Source: http://newstrib.com/main.asp?SectionID%3D2%26SubSectionID%3D27%26ArticleID%3D45005
