Deeds we do now will make for a more perfect union

We have recently celebrated Independence Day and national pride reaches another high point for the year. However, I think it is important for us all to remember exactly what it was that this country was founded upon and what it meant for people actually living in the new country.

When we hear preachings of what the Founding Fathers may have said or done, we must remember who they were and what times they were living in. We must remember that it was more than a hundred years after the Constitution was written before women could vote, slavery was the law of the land, and only the interests of white men that owned property were protected in the young United States.

All of this is true and absolutely a part of our history. What distances we have come, and what we’ve learned!

Rather than harp upon the past deeds of some gifted and skilled statesmen, we must find it in our selves to preserve the liberty and republic that we so highly value. By clinging to old words or ideals, rather than seeking out how to maximize liberty, we do more harm to ourselves than good. Instead of using history to push our own ideologies, we should learn from it, and make better choices because of it.

July 4th will come and go again and again, but we must remember what makes our country great. Not only the deeds of those before us, but the deeds we do ourselves to make a more perfect union.

JASON BENELL

Sandpoint