Independence Day from the Eyes of the British
On July 4, 1776, the newly formed United States declared its independence from Britain. In the Declaration of Independence, the country’s founders laid out their grievances with the Crown:
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
Among the many listed facts: taxation without consent, trial without jury, and quartering of soldiers in the colonies.
Each July 4, we celebrate that independence with parades and picnics, flags and fireworks. Nearly every man, woman, and child dons red, white, and blue in some form or another. It’s the height of American pride. (Although see here for examples of Americans having no idea why we celebrate the Fourth of July or even when and from whom we declared our independence.)
But I’ve never thought to look at the day from another perspective. Until this year.