BY JOHN PAWLAK
White Rock

Back in high school, several math-nerd friends of mine and I were in the Debate Club. To tell the truth, we didn’t really like formal debating. Being fans of axiomatic thinking, we just liked to argue!

One year, we tackled the question of “When did the United States of America become a country?” Having battled many math problems in my life, I learned that the declaration of a propositional “truth” was not considered complete until the final victory flag was waved with a QED.

And so we declared the Declaration of Independence to be just that, a declaration, a proposition, a supposition to a conclusion. It was not the beginning or the birth of a nation. After all, the colonists fought the British for over seven years. If we were a country on July 4, 1776, then we weren’t fighting for our independence, but rather we were fighting to eject foreign invaders.

And why July 4th? The Second Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776. Was our nation’s birth dependent on ringing a bell? The Declaration was first read to the public on July 8th amid many bells ringing. The Declaration wasn’t even signed until August 2nd. Does signing a declaration of intent mean that the intent is done? If I sign a declaration that I’ve won the lottery, do I get the money?

History books teach that the Revolutionary War (known as the War of Independence) began on April 19, 1775 at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. So we were fighting a revolutionary war for independence for over a year before declaring independence? Ah, but again, they didn’t ring any bells back in 1775, so it really wasn’t the start of a nation. I’m sure that made a big difference to the British back then.

And what about our Constitution? If establishing a Constitution defines our birth, then we need to answer the question … which Constitution? The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation on Nov 15, 1777, but that only established a loosely defined central government, leaving constitutional decisions to the individual states. The “Congress” at that time couldn’t legislate laws or even tax people. Hey, if you can’t tax me, you’re not a nation, okay? Furthermore, the Articles weren’t ratified by all 13 states until Feb 2, 1781. So does that make the USA 245 years old?

The next argument comes from the British. The Treaty of Paris, formally recognizing the United States as a nation, was signed on Sept. 3, 1783. So should we celebrate our nation’s 243rd this coming September? Now, I would define our true beginning to be when the current Constitution was ratified. This was accomplished, technically speaking, when the ninth state, New Hampshire, ratified it on June 21, 1788. But I say it was a “United” States when all 13 states ratified the Constitution. That occurred when Rhode Island ratified it on May 29, 1790. So I celebrated our 236th anniversary last May!

Ultimately, tradition wins out over any argument. July 4th is cemented into our culture as “the” date to celebrate, and I’m okay with that. But I do think that winning a war ought to merit more consideration than just declaring one. Our Constitution is itself a declaration of unity and intent. Speaking axiomatically, I doubt that the founding fathers would have felt comfortable yelling “QED!” on July 4th.

But whatever number or date floats your boat or rings your liberty bell, I believe that there is value in celebrating our nation, and I do wish you all a very Happy 4th of July!

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