While we celebrate the birth of America today, please extend a silent moment of thanks to God for the many who sacrificed to birth the United States of America. While there were fewer casualties in this war than there were in the 19th century War between the States, the colonists clashed with opponents who were often members of their own family. It was a civil war in every sense of the word.
As I peal through books about Rhode Island during the Revolution—a state I knew little about before researching this current manuscript I’m writing—I am once again awed by the people who fought to free this country from England. Some were wealthy, some simple farmers or tradesman. Some were even slaves fighting for their freedom.
But the women left at home with children and farms to tend carried their own burdens. Imagine not knowing for months or years if your son or husband was safe. Communication was so difficult. People wrote letters but they could be intercepted. And after battles, mass graves were dug to inter the bodies. Often there were no family graves for the widows and mothers to set flowers upon.
Even the signers of the Declaration of Independence did so at the risk of their lives and their fortunes. Many lost both.
So I pray you enjoy this holiday. But I ask that you take a moment to pray for the Americans who serve our country today.
And take another moment to get a book about the American Revolution. There are a trove of them at your library or in bookstores. You will likely come away more grateful than ever for the 4th of July holiday. It was a day to remember, indeed.