OPINION:
There would be no Juneteenth without Independence Day.
Although President Lincoln did not receive legal authority for the Emancipation Proclamation from the Declaration of Independence, it certainly inspired his belief that all of us are created equal.
Now, too many of our fellow Americans buy into the false narrative that our country was founded on a faulty compromise. In a few weeks, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our beloved nation. Our republic was founded on July 4, 1776, with the Declaration of Independence.
The promise of America, as declared in our founding document, is that all of us are created equal, that God grants us our freedoms and that governments are formed with the consent of the governed to protect these rights.
The Declaration of Independence is our “why,” while the Constitution is our “what.” It spells out the structure of our government. A compromise was indeed required to obtain the necessary support for the original passage of the document.
Thankfully, our Founders had the foresight to provide a system, albeit a difficult one, to amend the Constitution.
Less than a century after the founding of our nation, a small but powerful group of Southern Democrats pushed for expanding slavery into the Western territories. In March 1854, a group of abolitionists opposed to these efforts gathered in a schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin.
They formed the Republican Party.
Six years later, this party nominated Lincoln as its candidate for president of the United States. After his election, he presided over a nation torn apart by the Civil War. He sought to preserve the Union while ensuring that the promise of America made on July 4, 1776, applied to everyone in our young nation.
With that in mind, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. He freed the slaves in the states that had seceded from the Union during the Civil War. He believed he had this power as a “fit and necessary war measure” against the rebellious states in the Confederacy.
June 19, 1865, was the day that the last slaves in a state governed by Democrats heard about their release via a proclamation from a Republican president.
Most young people today would likely think it was the other way around because of the false narratives pushed by many in schools and on social media.
When Joseph R. Biden was running for president, a report came out about him speaking at a campaign event where he recalled the civility of the U.S. Senate years ago and referenced two members who were segregationists. A prominent media commentator said the two senators were Republicans. They were not.
They were Democrats, like all the other segregationists at the time. That kind of ignorance is a problem today.
A recent poll shows pride in America is at a low point for young voters. Similarly, data shows that proficiency in history and civics is at historic lows.
I believe the two are connected, as a lack of understanding of our past and our form of government leads people to believe false statements.
Our Founders were far from perfect individuals. In my opinion, the only perfect person walked on this planet more than 2,000 years ago. What our Founders did, however, was spell out the goals of a more perfect nation.
The declaration that all of us are created equal, that our Creator grants us our rights and that true authority comes from the consent of the governed — these were unique ideas in the late 18th century. They are still unique ideas in many parts of the world today.
It is why so many people from around the world are drawn to the United States. Each year, our nation receives more legal immigrants than any other country. No one else is even close. They come for freedom and opportunity.
In recent years, many attempts have been made to undermine America’s greatness. The reaction from so many fans arriving in our country for the first time to cheer on their teams in the World Cup is a vivid rebuttal of this false narrative.
Thankfully, their impressions went from negative to positive once they met our people, experienced our customs and better understood our system of government.
Like so many others, my pride in America is not based on who holds office, but on the system of government designed by our Founders and refined over the past 250 years. There is no doubt that we have our challenges, but we continue to march forward on the path toward a more perfect nation.
So on Juneteenth, let us remember that slavery does not define our nation; what defines it is the fact that we overcame slavery. Let us resolve to fight to preserve and protect the promise of America made on July 4, 1776, for future generations.
• Scott Walker is a columnist for The Washington Times. He was the 45th governor of Wisconsin and launched a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He lives in Milwaukee and is the proud owner of a 2003 Harley-Davidson Road King. He can be reached at swalker@washingtontimes.com.
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