I’m marking Independence Day with even greater enthusiasm this year, because I’ve realized its celebration may become a thing of the past. As our monuments are toppled, our Founding Fathers demonized, and our National Anthem shamefully politicized, we must ask: Could the Fourth of July end up on the chopping block too?
Imagine a world with no parades, no fireworks, and no unifying demonstrations of national pride.
It could happen. Patriotism could land on the guillotine.
Indeed, referring to oneself as a “patriot” is already déclassé, so our national day may not be far behind. Before you know it, people—perhaps even your friends—might be posting nauseating social media declarations about how they are “opting out” of celebration in “solidarity” with our country’s most oppressed. This could easily become the new, cool way to figuratively kneel in front of the social justice mob that wants to make life miserable for everyone.
Just watch, the flag will go too. Flying the Stars and Stripes on your porch or boat could someday meet with hostility. Any display of support for your country could be seen as racist, sexist, homophobic… you know the drill. And corporate America will march right along with it.
This movement to erase our history and malign our heritage is not surprising to students of history. Every communist revolution has followed the same modus operandi: convince the bourgeois that their roots are evil. Pretty soon the masses will turn on everything held sacred, their faith, traditions and guiding principles.
Bill O’Reilly has compared what’s happening this summer to Joseph Stalin’s purge in the 1930s. The ultimate goal of the radicals, he says, is to convince most Americans that our country is bad, not worth a celebration, that we should nullify our Constitution, eliminate our founding principles, and founders. Sorry, George. You were a low-life bum, so no more mentions of you.
This purge of patriotism in America is happening with alarming speed and ferocity. To fight back, we need more celebration. In both the wake of 9/11 and at the time of the bicentennial in 1976, we saw a renaissance of patriotism (a killjoy for liberals).
As we approach 2026, we must tell our country’s story in a way that includes everyone, from the Irish immigrant who built the White House, to the slaves who supported the Revolution, to the women who fought and won the right to vote. Our national heroes must be seen as flawed people whose genius, bravery, and achievements for humanity outweigh their ownership of people. The inclusion of exhibitions about slavery at places like Mount Vernon and Monticello is a great example of this.
As George Washington rallied his troops in the dark of night, we must rally around America now more than ever. Wave the flag, fire up the skies and the grills. Don’t let the bolsheviks rain on our parade or on our common destiny.