Why Celebrating the 4th of July This Year Is More Important Than Ever in the Trump Era!

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By Danielle Sobelman

When I thought of celebrating the 4th of July this year I thought I would pass on it because as of late, I have been feeling very less patriotic and more embarrassed about what our country has become since the Trump Administration has come to power. I feel that the Trump Administration has dismantled what it means to be an American. The more I thought about the more I began to think, lets rise to the occasion and celebrate all the wonderful things that this country has done and will do once this dark period in American history ends.

Right now, everything we hold dear is being tested and as Americans we must show that we can persevere. We have to remember that wonderful Constitution that was written and signed in my hometown of Philadelphia. As Americans we must understand that very Constitution is being under attacked by the Trump Administration. We cannot allow Donald J. Trump to work to destroy the very principles of that document that define who we are. The Constitution is our foundation.

When the Declaration of Independence, was ratified on July 4, 1776, a new nation was born out the desired to create a nation free from the tyranny of the British Crown and a brave new world was born where almost anyone can understand what it’s like to live a life of liberty. The words of this wonderful document, “We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”, are under attack. The Trump administration has gone off the mission statement of our country. These words are our mission statement and as Americans we must adhere to them.

We must celebrate the 4th of July to remember of the people who made sacrifices to allow us as Americans to live a life of liberty. From the Revolutionary War to all the way to the War on Terror, many sacrifices have been made. Has Donald J. Trump made any? Absolutely not. While Trump was having deferments that prevented him from serving in Vietnam and by his own admission having his” own personal Vietnam” with his partying and promiscuous behavior, my two uncles who were in the Marine Corp were making the ultimate sacrifice by serving there.

While Trump wants to have a military parade to show our strength as a nation, he has forgotten the many Puerto Ricans who are Americans and served our Armed Forces. It’s a smack in the face to these American citizens who have to live without basic needs in order to have a parade. This is disgraceful.

As for Trump’s zero tolerance policy on immigration and his travel ban we must remember an famous excerpt of Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus”. Many people don’t know is that the poem “The New Colossus was written by Lazarus to raise funds for the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. The excerpt is as follows: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse the teeming shore. Send these the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Immigrants are the huddled masses and that is why this country is great. It has been the land of opportunity and it had certainly been that for my father, who was born and raised in Syria. When my father was alive he really loved this country. These great words of Emma Lazarus to this day is engraved at the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

So this year as we celebrate the 4th of July, we must remember why this country is great and remember despite our current situation as Americans we will persevere.

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