I know we’re about 249 years too late, but with all of the hullaballoo concerning the 250th anniversary of … something … later this summer, I’m reminded of what a horrible choice of dates July 4 1776 is.
For one, nothing happened on that date besides a procedural vote to approve a draft resolution. The actual vote to declare indpendence was two days earlier, and the signing of said resolution took place in bits and pieces, over months, nay years.
Truthfully, September 3, 1783, when the Treaty of Paris (which formally granted US indpendence) was signed, makes more historical sense. Or better yet, March 4, 1789, when our current Constitution went into effect.
However, for generations American schoolchildren have been taught about July 4, 1776, so I guess we’re stuck with it.
What I find humorous is that the Florida Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial is ignoring the fact that the Florida colonies remained loyal to the crown.
I’m of the opinion that a nation-state is its system of government. By this standard, the adoption of the Constitution is the only date that makes sense for the birth of our nation. And no, the amendments don’t reset that clock, because they were adopted under the system laid out in the previously-existing constitution.
It also means, for instance, that China is only 77 years old.
I imagine that, either the USA or its Constitution, one or the other, has an expiration date in the next few years. Hopefully it’s the Constitution (to be replaced with a much better one).
I’d argue that the move from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution wouldn’t necessarily constitute a change of government, so much as a restructuring. I mean, the shortcomings of the Articles were pointed out by various things, but it wasn’t a collapse of the government like say… the transition between the Fourth and Fifth Republics of France. The name of the country didn’t change, the basic structure of semi-sovereign states under a collective government didn’t change, just the details of how that worked changed. Granted, those details were pretty significant, and the states delegated a lot of their power to the Federal government. Until the 17th Amendment, it was pretty clear that it was a union of states, not a democracy.
I am not sure what you mean here, but all it takes is 2/3 of the states to organise a new Constitutional Convention and agree a new constitution, or modify the existing one. This procedure is even explicitly mentioned in the current constitution, in Article 5. No need to disband the US.
It is true that there is no expiration date mentioned.
I mean, it’s not like we refer to it as “Freedom Day,” or “Articles of Confederation Day,” or “Constitutional Convention Day.” It’s Independence Day and it makes sense to base it on the Declaration of Independence.
Though “Cornwallis Surrenders at Yorktown Day” has a certain pizazz to it.
