look! the founding fathers.
representing patriarchy, “european” supremacy, the illusion of democracy, the revolutionary rhetoric declaring all men are created equal, the justification of slavery, the naturalization act, land-theft, the exclusion of women from politics, the exploitation of labor, the ruling class, the interests of the wealthy, the desires of a few. who knew? while we can and should thank thomas jefferson for his brilliant sentences, “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,” july 4, 1776 was not about freedom or independence for everyone. it was about who would benefit from slave labor: the king of england or the wealthy aristocrats in the “new world.”
English abolitionist Thomas Day wrote in a 1776 letter, “If there be an object truly ridiculous in nature, it is an American patriot, signing resolutions of independency with the one hand, and with the other brandishing a whip over his affrighted slaves.”
so let us continue acknowledging the complexities of history, celebrating the continual fight for true independence, giving thanks for the revolutionaries who fought for what they believed was just…from 1776 to 2012 and beyond.