The 4th of July is Sort of a Lie

What does Independence Day mean if you’re told to never engage in violent protest?

American Independence Day

I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I’m not here to compare the 4th of July with Juneteenth. I think better writers have done that out here. What I want to talk about is something I know a lot about — violence.

As a military veteran, I tend to think about the application of violence at lot. Especially when I observe police brutality in these United States. Violence is a fascinating element to analyze when it comes to the 4th of July. Our fireworks are supposed to represent “the rocket’s red glare,” and the “bombs bursting in air.” Rockets. Bombs. Weapons of war. Things that kill. Violence.

Some people just shoot their guns in the air, as dangerous as that can be. But yeah, we can argue gun safety all day, but those who celebrate with shooting actual guns get it. Violence.

Violent Protest

The point I want to get to is the fact that every year, Americans of all races, ethnicities, religions and creeds celebrate a violent protest. A very violent, protest.

Violence and destruction of property was a huge part of America’s fight for independence. Multiple times, those who were loyal to the British Crown got their homes ransacked, furniture destroyed, and all their alcohol drunken or otherwise stolen. Some loyalists got tarred and feathered in the streets.

Hell, the Boston Tea Party was essentially the destruction of the property of some capitalist. Think about it: replace throwing crates of tea into the ocean with tossing barrels of oil away. That mess will look more like terrorism, no?

Violence was the Point

America, was born out of violent protest. Even further, America was born out of police brutality — Crispus Attucks was a Black man shot by a British Soldier. Being that police as they exist in our modern day didn’t back then, Soldiers did what we’d call police work. So yes, not only was the U.S.A. born out of violent protest, but also born out of a Black man being shot by a fucking cop.

Fireworks and Fire, works

I have no problem with us Black folks celebrating the 4th of July. I’m not that guy who acts like he hates fireworks, because I don’t. The biggest problem I have with the 4th of July is the hypocrisy, because as a member of the Black Community of the United States, we have to fight tooth and nail for every inch of freedom and prosperity. We are frequently reminded that violence, is not the way.

We are trained and conditioned to not engage in violent protest, yet, we celebrate the fact that this nation was born out of violent protest. The hypocrisy is bizarre, and slaps the face harder than a pimp on New Year’s Eve.

Final Thoughts

Celebrate. Cook out. Eat up. Enjoy yourselves with much deserved time with family and loved ones. But, however, pause for dramatic effect — the concept of the 4th of July is a slap in the face to Black people.

The 4th of July, is sort of a lie.

It’s not just that our independence as Black people wasn’t fought for or won on the 4th of July, it’s the fact that it’s a successful violent protest for somebody’s freedom, all while those who enjoy those freedoms tell us to not engage in such strategy. A riot, is nothing but an unsuccessful revolution with the oppressors narrating the story.

Let’s get one thing straight; I’m not advocating for violence here. What I am doing, is making an observation on how violence is valid when one group of people do it, and never is if another group does the same thing.

Hell, Haiti is a nation who was inspired by America’s revolution. But just because it was a slave (read: Black people) rebellion, America refused to aid and assist. America is not only a hypocrite, but also a hater. America hates slave rebellions.

Violence: good when whites do it, bad when anyone else does it.

Why wasn’t the American revolution a peaceful protest? Because white colonialists understood that “peaceful” is a code for to whom violence is inflicted upon.

The 4th of July, is sort of a lie.

Violence invalidates the protests of nonwhite people, but with white people, it’s the #1 way to achieve their goals and objectives. How can one be shocked observing what took place on January 6th? I wasn’t; I was there. I study violence, and the Streets of D.C. knew what was going to happen, because a lot of white people felt their white privilege was at stake.

White people always take up violence faster than any other group when it comes to political action. I was about to specify conservatives and right-wingers, but even in leftist circles it’s the same; it’s white anti-fascists who are the first to punch nazis in the face. Violence in America, is a white privilege. Resisting against power is a white privilege. That’s the 4th of July.

✪ I speak on power, protest, and politics. Subscribe. If you’re not a member, you can JOIN with my referral link. That way, you can support me directly and read other great thinkers! As I’m always in the streets documenting activism, so please consider my activism photography to augment your written work.