
July 4th in Washington.
I was not yet living in America when on August 28, 1963, a young preacher in Atlanta named Martin Luther King Jr., uttered the following words:
“When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. . . . I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’
Dr. King was hopeful that “this nation would someday rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.” Yes, he had a dream but do we really know how much of

Drafting the Declaration.
We are now a maturing nation. Many years have passed since the Declaration of Independence was written on a piece of paper and signed by some very insightful men. Since then, we have overcome a lot of our shortcomings; we are very close to understanding our true identity and our unique place in history every single day. Although not perfect, we are as close to being perfect as we can be.
To many of our fellow citizens, Independence Day is a day to have a family get-together,

Declaration of Independence 1776. Submitted photos
So, on the eve of this very important celebration of a day in our nation’s history, I decided to reminisce as a first generation immigrant who came to this country at the age of 20, with dreams, expectations and hopes.
Some years ago, I read the biography of John Adams, the first Vice President and second President of the United States. In this biography, there was a passage from a letter Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776 on the eve of the Declaration of Independence. “I am well aware of

Martin Luther King.
Today, as we watch the events taking place in the Middle East and Africa where one despot after another is falling in front of a wave of humanity searching for their “freedom,” one cannot help but think about the prophetic words of Thomas Jefferson in a letter to John Adams dated September 12, 1821; “The flames kindled on the

John Adams and Abigail Adams.
With the Declaration of Independence came “freedom” to America and that is what we should all be celebrating on this Independence Day Holiday on the 4th of July. We have many of our finest young men and women in uniform spread all around the world defending us and our freedoms, hoping to free others from the clutches of despots

Thomas Jefferson.
Ronald Reagan, one of the greatest Presidents to serve the people in the White House said it best during his address at Yorktown on October 19, 1981; “Our Declaration of Independence has been copied by emerging nations around the globe, its themes adopted in places many of us have never heard of. Here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights. We

Martin Luther King Jr.
This Independence Day Holiday on July 4th, 2011, my only wish is for all Americans, regardless of race, creed and color to stop for a moment and thank all those who made us a free nation by declaring our independence from a despot King; who fought to preserve that freedom in faraway places and those who are willingly giving their lives today to make sure we can live another day in a free America as free Americans.
Happy Independence Day and God Bless America…
Currently a member of Marco Island’s Code Enforcement Board, Tarik Ayasun has given many years of community service to various organizations.
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