Celebrating 250 Years of Independence

It was 1831, and the community of Albany, New York, was preparing to celebrate the fifty-fifth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Two French dignitaries were present to witness the entire event. 

As the pair of notables left their hotel that summer morning to the sounds of ringing church bells, patriotic celebration and the sights of gathering crowds, they were welcomed by the lieutenant governor to the state capital’s Fourth of July parade. Frenchmen Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont, were asked to be in the parade as honored guests.  

Both men were sent to America by the French government for a nine-month tour, primarily to study the American penal system.  But Tocqueville was intent on learning everything he could about this upstart young republic, and this particular day was no exception.  Keeping lengthy and thorough notes (which later became his classic Democracy in America), Tocqueville described the unique dynamics of this expressly American celebration.  It would prove to be a memorable and impacting experience for both men during their colonial American field trip. 

Beaumont described the procession that day as being led by “three or four old veterans of Washington’s army, whom the city preserves like precious relics.”  Tocqueville said they were “old men who had seen the American cause triumph and who embodied memories of the heroic age.”

Following them were the state officials, the local fire department and a cadre of tradesmen.  Though unsophisticated and simple, nothing like how it would be done in France, Tocqueville was deeply touched. Its “ludicrous details enmeshed with a loftiness of purpose,” he said, “spoke to the heart.”

Beaumont described it as “nothing resplendent,” but nonetheless, there was “a certain grandeur in its simplicity.”  He wrote, “Our festivals are more dazzling, those of the United States ring truer.” 

Concluding the parade at the Methodist Church on the corner of North Pearl and Orange Streets, Beaumont commented that even that was “so characteristic of America, where nothing is done without the sanction of religion.”

As the crowd moved inside the church, Tocqueville was fascinated by who sat in the place of honor.  It was not the clergy or the politicians, but “those old veterans” of the Revolutionary War.  What a sight that must have been.

Here’s how Tocqueville described the rest of that church service:

“The public sat in rows facing the podium.  A preacher mounted it and recited a prayer calling upon heaven to bless America.  The assembly responded with “amen,” whereupon a young man, who had meanwhile joined the preacher, read the Declaration of Independence, as is customary.  It was truly an impressive spectacle.  People sat in plunged silence until they heard the eloquent words of Congress recounting England’s injustices and tyranny.  At that, a murmur of indignation and anger ran through the audience.  When Congress pled the righteousness of its cause and expressed the noble resolve to free America or die fighting, it seemed that an electric current was making hearts vibrate ….”

He concluded with these words:

“In the recitation of the well-kept promises of independence, in this return of an entire people to memories of its national birth, in this uniting of the present generation with one whose exalted passions it shared for a moment – in all this there was something deeply felt and truly great.”

This was a people, five and a half decades after the Revolution, who still pulsated with a deeply-held reverence for and patriotic love of their country,  Their faith and their freedom could not be separated.  The Declaration of Independence was not only read in church, it was customary to do so!  

Incredibly, not only had the philosophical founding fathers taught them well, but so did America’s spiritual founding father, George Whitefield, the powerful voice of the colonies’ Great Awakening.  So much so, that the lessons learned still resonated fifty-five years later.

May love for God and country that was so real to those early Americans in 1831, be awakened in us anew today as we approach our 250th birthday.  And may God bless America with another 250 years of vibrant faith and enduring freedom.

Brian Schroeder is the former Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, an ordained minister and professional family/youth counselor.  

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