July 4, 1776 and July 4, 2006: Winds of change

 

By Steve Hammons

 

By the time July 4, 1776, rolled around, many leaders and people living in the east coast region of North America realized that changes were needed.

 

Many of these immigrants to North America were feeling that the government of King George they were living under was corrupt and oppressive, violated their rights and primarily served rich and powerful elites.

 

These new American patriots had a vision of a nation that was ruled by the people, through ideals and methods that included those of a democracy and a republic.

 

It was not easy for many to admit that King George and his power structure were corrupt and that significant change was needed. Many felt that they should remain loyal to the crown and the class system of elites and royalty of England. After all, wasn’t King George directly blessed by God to rule?

 

And, the king’s army protected them from the Indians, some of whom were bringing terror in the form of attacks.

 

But, the winds of change were blowing in North America. This was not England. There were immigrants from Scotland and other lands who held no love or for the English crown.

 

Even former soldiers and officers in the King’s army like George Washington started siding with those who wanted a change in government and a break from the past.

 

Of the king’s colonial governors, one chose to join the effort for change. His name was Jonathan Trumbull of Connecticut. He risked all to join with the likes of Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and the rest.

 

The people who created this new nation had courage, and maybe felt a new spirit in this new land.

 

NATIVES ARE RESTLESS

 

Meanwhile, many of the immigrants to North America had been meeting and dealing with the native people for generations. Early explorers and colonists had experienced the full range of interactions with Indian tribes from intermarriage to fierce battles and wars.

 

Many Indian tribes functioned on democratic principles. In what would become the upstate New York region, the Iroquois confederacy of several major tribes employed many democratic values in their social systems. The democracy of the Iroquois confederacy reportedly influenced the immigrants in the colonies.

 

In the Appalachian Mountain region, just to the west of colonial America, was the Cherokee nation, a highly developed civilization that was based on a matriarchal system and a democratic structure.

 

The Cherokee were one of the so-called “Five Civilized Tribes.” Of course, there turned out to be more that five civilized tribes, many more.

 

By 1776, there were already generations of Americans who were part-Cherokee and part-English, part-Scottish or other mixed Cherokee and European background. Other tribes experienced similar intermarriages. They looked at loyalty to King George differently.

 

The Indians had been feeling changes for a long while. The Europeans had come several generations ago. Spanish, French, English and others. They were taking land the Indians had lived on for thousands of years. These newcomers were driving off the local native people, often through violence.

 

What would a new United States of America mean for the Indian tribes? It didn’t look good. It might mean more expansion into Indian lands. It might mean more hardship for the native people. It could even mean their destruction.

 

Who were the lesser of all these evils that had come to North America? King George and his redcoat Army? The French? These new Americans who were changing their government and rebelling against the king?

 

The new democracy and republic of the United States of America did not include the Indians. Within the next 100 years, most of the native people in these eastern regions would be forced west as the United States of America expanded. And, of course, many killed through violence, forced marches, hunger, disease and the destruction of their dignity and way of life.

 

AMERICAN SPIRIT EMERGING

 

Today, several years into the 21st Century, some say we Americans find ourselves in similar situations as those in the mid-1700s. Winds of change are blowing. People are coming to a new awareness about citizenship and government.

 

There are grave questions and concerns about the behavior of government leaders. Some say that parts of the ruling order are corrupt and oppressive, violating our rights and primarily serve rich and powerful elites.

 

New American patriots have a vision of a nation that is ruled by the people. It is not easy for many to consider the idea that the governing power structure is corrupt and needs to be changed.

 

Even soldiers and officers in our military are siding with those who want a change in government and a break from the past.

 

Belief in democratic ideals is now well-established. And these beliefs have spread to millions of today’s Americans of all different backgrounds.

 

We are continuing to learn from the native people who lived here long before the founders of the United States of America. We are discovering new things about our land that the Indians had learned. Love of the land. Sometimes mysterious and sacred things. Our troubled history regarding the treatment of native people is being examined and understood.

 

As we celebrate the 4th of July this year, the comparisons between 1776 and our time now may provide insight. We don’t need to pick up our muskets and shoot at redcoats. All that is needed is the understanding of our history and heritage, and then to act accordingly. America will continue to thrive if we follow the lead of those who founded our country.

 

The people who have inherited this nation have enough courage, and maybe we feel a spirit in this land that is both new and ancient.