Historical Fourth of July celebrations show a propensity for evasion. The 1876 centennial barely mentioned slavery, focusing on industrial might and expansion.
The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, amid segregation and imperial adventurism, affirmed that narrative.
Historian Frederick Jackson Turner described western frontiers as the motor of democratic expansion, dismissing slavery as an “incident.”
US entry into World War II marked a reconsideration.
Arthur Schlesinger’s 1945 book “The Age of Jackson” framed Andrew Jackson as a populist hero, comparing his extension of the franchise to white men without property to New Deal struggles.
This overlooked Jackson’s suppression of anti-slavery struggles, support for Indian removal, and hostility to women’s suffrage.
Nevertheless, the idea that the Declaration of Independence was a mandate for insurgencies from below was far-reaching.
In 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence quoting the Declaration, and later appealed to the US for support—met with silence.
The 1976 bicentennial reverted to plantation nostalgia and commemorative kitsch. A tall-ship parade and a “freedom train” sponsored by corporations crisscrossed the country.
In Philadelphia, a counter-celebration by Black, Latino, and Native American organizers demanded a “bicentennial without colonies.”
Meanwhile, a young Donald Trump was emerging as the avatar of Bourne’s town capitalist. Ronald Reagan later rose with frontier-expansionist themes.
With Trump in the White House, the upcoming anniversary will likely showcase paeans to pioneer spirit, military power, and business civilization, perhaps with plantation nostalgia.
Andrew Jackson’s plantation plans a celebration with 1,776 US flags, and a restored Reconciliation Monument at Arlington will provide a backdrop.
Jackson will be celebrated as empowering the common man, not for expanding slavery or authorizing Indian removal.
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As Ho Chi Minh and other anti-colonial leaders discovered, not every insurgency is created equal.
