Independence Day

In the movie Independence Day, Will Smith kills a bunch of aliens who attack the United States with giant killer UFOs. There are quite a few good one-liners and some awesome action sequences, but no one remembers any of those; they only remember the scene where the White House is blown to smithereens, and if they're old enough, they remember how everyone in the theater cheered at that moment.

That's the kind of independence most people are after these days—freedom from law, not freedom under law. What they seem to forget is that the Founding Fathers weren't a bunch of anarchists who simply wanted to do whatever they wanted without England butting in. The Founding Fathers only wanted England to treat the U.S. equitably as part of the British monarchy.

When England essentially refused to do so, the American Patriots decided to take matters into their own hands. Yes, there were other prominent motives for throwing off the yoke of English rule, most of them economic, but ideologically the Revolution was fuelled by a desire for a national government that was answerable to the people and inherently limited in scope and sovereignty.

Over the years, the United States have drifted away from the initial ideals of men like Madison, Jefferson and Adams. That doesn't mean we don't enjoy basically the same model of government they set up, and it certainly doesn't mean that we've lost any significant amount of liberties. We remain a checked-and-balanced nation that values freedom and responsibility, and we celebrate it every July 4th.

Sure, we still remember the formation of our country, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and all that. But nearly two and a half centuries later, the celebration of Independence Day is less about the origins of our nation than it is about its continuing commitment to liberty, freedom of conscience, and justice at home and around the world.

None of us at Exodus Books are flag-waving fanatics, nor do we support everything the U.S. does or stands for. Wars on foreign soil may or may not be justified, and as a nation we've certainly turned from biblical morality toward reprobate license. At the same time, the fact that we can worship Christ on Sunday without fear, preach His name to others, and still vote when the time comes is reason enough to light off some fireworks and eat fried chicken at the beginning of each summer.

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13 Colonies: Georgia
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Abigail Adams Package (FACE)
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Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider
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American History Stories Volume 2
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American Revolution for Kids
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Leaders of the American Revolution
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Childhood of Famous Americans
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Black Man in America
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Seeds of America #1
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Concise Illustrated History of the American Revolution
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Declaration of Independence in Translation
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Early Thunder
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Eve of Revolution
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My American Journey
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General Washington's Army
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George Washington You Never Knew
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History of US Book 3
History of US Book 3
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Men of Faith
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King George: What Was His Problem?
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Kings Mountain
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Liberty or Death
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Life of Washington
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Meet George Washington
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Meet Thomas Jefferson
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My Brother Sam Is Dead
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Noah Webster: Father of the American Dictionary
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Paul Revere's Ride
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Childhood of Famous Americans
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Revolutionary John Adams
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Revolutionary War
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Revolutionary War: America's Fight for Freedom
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Cornerstones of Freedom
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Story of Lexington and Concord
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Story of Monticello
Cornerstones of Freedom
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Story of Monticello
Cornerstones of Freedom
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Story of the American Revolution - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Story of the Bonhomme Richard
Cornerstones of Freedom
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Story of the Bonhomme Richard
Cornerstones of Freedom
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Story of the Boston Tea Party
Cornerstones of Freedom
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Story of the Declaration of Independence
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Story of the Declaration of Independence
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Story of the Green Mountain Boys
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Story of the Liberty Bell
Cornerstones of Freedom
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Story of the Liberty Bell
Cornerstones of Freedom
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Story of the Liberty Bell
Cornerstones of Freedom
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Story of the Surrender at Yorktown
Cornerstones of Freedom
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Cornerstones of Freedom
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Three Gold Doubloons
Level 7
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Timeline of the Revolution - Teacher Guide
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by Esther Brady
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Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold
by Jean Fritz
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What is the Declaration of Independence?
What Was?
1st edition from Grosset & Dunlap
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Why Not, Lafayette?
by Jean Fritz
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Winter of Red Snow
Dear America
by Kristiana Gregory
from Scholastic Inc.
Fictional historical journal for 3rd-6th Grade
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$4.80 (2 in stock)
Woods Runner
by Gary Paulsen
from Ember
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Yankee Doodle Boy
by Joseph Martin
from Holiday House
Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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Yankee Doodle Boy
by Joseph Martin
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Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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