The Fourth of July is a very important American holiday. It is a celebration of our independence, as a nation, from a tyrannical king and country. The founding fathers and the people they represented were tired of the King of England running their lives. They had made great sacrifices coming to this wild and untamed land, and they carved out cities and streets with their own two hands. They owed nothing to the king.

Without the strength, courage and conviction of the men and women who stood against the crown, we would not be a nation. We would be a colony under English rule. The rights and privileges we enjoy today would not exist.

It is so important to teach our children about the history of this great nation. Without real heart knowledge of the great sacrifices made to form this nation, each new generation will not appreciate or understand the importance of our independence and even more importantly, the formation of our government.

The reason our government was formed as three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch, was to ensure the rights of the people. The three branches were to keep each other in check—checks and balances—so no one man or group could take away the will of the people. This is one of the things that has made this nation so great. We are governed by “We the People …”

Today, as we gather with friends and family, we need to remember why we are celebrating. It is not just an extra day off. We are celebrating the formation of a nation free of tyranny. If we do not remember what this nation stands for, we will fall under the tyranny of men who seek the power to rule, instead of serve as representatives of the people.

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common
defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty
to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America.”
(The Preamble from the Constitution of the United States of America)

— Staff Writer