One of the acts of Congress in that summer in 1776 was to declare the 13 English speaking colonies independent of Great Britain. The other was to order the removal of Native Peoples who lived in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina "as a precaution."
This was the beginning of a preemptive war that lasted over ten years. This war has been forgotten, and become the hidden side of America's great liberating revolution. It meant that about half the men in arms serving the new United States were deployed against the indigenous people of this land. This decision of Congress meant that the former colonists became a new colonizer. This was a declaration of war which meant that 15,000 young Native Americans would die fighting to keep their peoples independence in their ancient homeland. The United States that emerged from that war for independence was a race based republic which would continue to war against Native peoples, a war that has never ended.
So this is why many American Indians do not celebrate this day. Not because they have a chip on their shoulders, or they are living in the past. Rather the consequences of July 4, 1776 has been a disaster for their people's independence.
And then again, many Native people do have a celebration on this day. As an occupied people many Indians in the West were forbidden to have dances and practice their rituals. But the occupying power (that is the United States) decided that in order to "Americanize" these "unamericans" they would let them have a celebration of July 4th!, So these people continue to this day to have a big celebration on July 4th in which they celebrate rituals and dances that were ancient when Columbus set off on his voyage looking to get rich.
Leave a comment