Reflection on Independence Day: 2021 and an Update

Disclaimer: Parts of this post originally published 5 July 2019

This year (2021), the country feels more divided than united. All of us need to step back and reflect on the sacrifice made by those who fought for our Independence from England. Those persons were labelled rebels. Because of those rebels, we can argue about the meaning of words in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. Because of those rebels, we can disagree about the date of our country’s founding. Remember, too, that we would not enjoy these freedoms if not for those rebels. Like them or not, those rebels deserve to be remembered and celebrated by Americans on this Fourth of July.

In this post, I update a list of persons from our (my husband’s and mine) family trees who are known or believed to be Revolutionary War patriots. Many of our personal ancestral families lived in the United States in late 1700s and early 1800s. At least one family may have been Tories (a.k.a. supported the British).

The roots of my family and my husband’s family run deep in America. Neither of us have any nationally famous persons in our family trees. Family stories told of Native American ancestry, but our DNA shows no genetic links there. Both of us hail primarily from British Isles, Scandinavia, and western Europe. We are descended from immigrants to the United States. Some of our ancestors influenced events locally or within their home state. Some of my husband’s ancestors owned slaves.

Should a holiday recognize when the first African slaves were brought to America? Enslaved peoples, primarily of African descent, are definitely part of our American history. We cannot change American history. Our interpretation of that history changes as we apply current values and beliefs to the values and beliefs held by those who lived in another time. I believe that we can teach differing views of events without belittling either side.

Acknowledge the societal norms of the times and locations that influenced our ancestors’ choices. We cannot change our family’s history. I diligently record our family’s history and share that information with others. I try to not pass judgment. Without all of our ancestors and those who believed in America, we would not be here!!