‘We the people’ celebrate Fourth

One of my favorite birthday cards came from a couple of friends awhile ago. It featured John Hancock, sitting behind a desk, quill poised over a blank parchment. The balloon over his head said, “Let’s see, now; is that ‘we the people,’ or ‘us the people’?” The inside of the card read, “Happy Birthday from all of we.”

I remember memorizing the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution in grammar school. “We the people …” indicates a singleness of mind – we’re all in this together. According to the online resource Wikipedia, it’s rumored Hancock advised the signers of the Constitution to hang together, to which Benjamin Franklin replied, “Yes, we must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

These men put their lives on the line when they signed the Declaration of Independence. If their gamble for freedom from Great Britain failed, they’d all be hanged for treason.

Hancock, president of Congress, put his famous signature to the document on July 4, 1776. Two years later, at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin proposed an opening prayer each day, citing Psalm 127:1 “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (King James Version).

In 1892, the first version of the pledge of allegiance was drafted by a Baptist minister from Boston, Francis Bellamy: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” In explaining his choice of words, Bellamy said, “The true reason for allegiance to the Flag is the ‘republic for which it stands.’ … And what does that vast thing, the Republic mean? It is the concise political word for the Nation – the One Nation which the Civil War was fought to prove. To make that One Nation idea clear, we must specify that it is indivisible, as Webster and Lincoln used to repeat in their great speeches.”

In 1923, The National Flag Conference replaced “my Flag” with “the Flag of the United States,” so there’d be no confusion among immigrants; and in 1924, “of America” was added. Thanks to the efforts of the Knights of Columbus, the words “under God” were incorporated, completing our current pledge of allegiance.

In signing the bill into law on Flag Day 1954, President Eisenhower said, “These words [“under God”] will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble. They will help us to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded.”

Sir Alex Fraser Tyler (1742-1813), a Scottish jurist and historian, observed: “The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependency back again into bondage.”

The United States is 32 years above the average, but where do we stand in the lineup? Our ancestors worked hard to provide a better life for their families. They understood freedom and the great responsibility that goes with it.

We, the Baby Boomer generation, have dropped the ball. Patriotism is viewed as brainwashed blind allegiance; respect has disintegrated to a “whatever” mentality; and faith in God is portrayed as a sign of weakness or superstition.

I was playing the piano for a church service at a senior boarding home several years ago, and had brought along a 12-year-old girl I was mentoring. One of the songs that day was “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and as soon as I hit the first notes, every one of the residents in that room struggled to their feet and proudly sang the words from memory. My young charge whispered to me, “Why’s everyone standing up?” I told her it was out of respect for our National Anthem, and she sprang to her feet. Why hadn’t she learned that in history class?

The final verse says: “Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand between their loved home and the war’s desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.” And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

In God we still trust, mostly. Happy Birthday, America, from all of we. God bless us every one!

Brenda J. Norris is assistant Sunday school leader and choir director at the West Lubec Methodist Church. She may be reached at bdnreligion@bangordailynews.net. Voices is a weekly commentary by Maine people who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.