The Fourth of July is America’s birthday. Each year, at this time, we celebrate the freedom our nation reached for on July 4, 1776, when a group of patriots published the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration stated that we no longer owed allegiance to Britain, and “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.” These are still the guiding principles of what we want our country to assure for all of us.
On the Fourth of July, we travel for reunions with our families and friends. We attend picnics, concerts or baseball games and watch fireworks displays. Sometimes we hear political speeches and see community parades. It is a day for special sale offerings from lots of large retail stores and small ones, too. It is a day to share with others.
Flags will fly everywhere and patriotic decorations will appear at holiday events. This is because we are rightfully proud of our country. But as we celebrate this holiday, we should remember that all of our families, except for American Indians, came here as immigrants. On July 4, we should reflect on the situation facing illegal immigrants in the United States now.
A new immigration bill has been passed by the U.S. Senate. If the House of Representatives approves it, and the president signs it, it will affect more than 10 million illegal immigrants now in our country.
One of the deepest concerns of my grandparents when they immigrated to America was protection of their life and liberty. They had serious concerns about whether or not their family would be protected, or enjoy freedom, in the country they left behind. Every time I pledge allegiance to the American flag and what it stands for, that pledge is an expression of support not only for me and my family, but on behalf of my parents and grandparents, for the great opportunities they were given as citizens in the United States of America.
My father came to America at age 5, as an immigrant. He attended school until he was 10 years old. From that time on, he started earning money selling newspapers on the street, afterwards doing odd jobs, including work in a garment factory. After his older brother returned from the military service, together they started a small manufacturing business.
Times were tough in the depression years. Sometimes our father did not have any income when he came home from work. My mother, a former singer and dancer in New York City’s Broadway theaters, took a few dollars each week from her personal savings to pay for the food and living expenses for the five of us. Things changed for the better over the years, yet my parents struggled to send my two brothers and me to college. My tuition costs alone ran more than $1,200 each year, which was tough to come by in those years.
Immigration rule changes are at the center of everyone’s thoughts today. Some people are for it and others are against granting new status to illegal immigrants. In America, most people are smart, knowledgeable and hardworking, in the pursuit of attaining a higher standard of living. This is truly the land of opportunity for all who want to live by our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
We should give deep consideration to the conditions facing many people coming here from foreign lands, who also want to earn, learn and live a better life, as well as providing for their family’s safety and economic well being. We should give them a break in the law, by permitting them and their children to earn citizenship in the U.S., providing they meet the conditions set by our government.
After all, we are a nation of mostly immigrants that built this country to the greatness it is today, a strong and wonderful land of opportunities. Americans are giving people. We love this country and what it stands for. We should extend that welcoming hand to all those qualified who can make this country continue to grow and prosper, as their final destination.
The Fourth of July is time to reflect on others less fortunate than us, to have that chance to live, work and enjoy the fruits of their labor in the greatest country in the world, the United States of America.
— Bernard Featherman is a business columnist for the Journal Tribune and former president of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce.
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