We love having a long weekend, I’m not going to lie. But this weekend I have also had some time to reflect on the reason behind this 3-day gift.
The facts: The Fourth of July, or Independence Day, is a national holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring that the thirteen American colonies considered themselves a new nation, the United States of America and no longer part of the British Empire. Today Independence Day is associated with BBQs, parades, fireworks and a day off of work.
Despite the politics of the day that seemingly make it controversial to say that the USA is the most amazing country in history, I still believe it to be true.
I had a great conversation with a friend yesterday who told me his family’s story of coming to America from a country where the military had taken over their government and forced the leaders out. They packed up their belongings to leave, and the everything they had was seized. They came to the US with very little, but they had faith in God to provide and an expectation that this country would be different. With such an appreciation for the gifts this country provided his family, Ben enlisted in the Marines at 17 years old with his parents’ permission and served for eleven years. Because of what his family had seen, he was so grateful for this new land and the opportunity to serve. His service also provided a way to get ahead when there were no resources for college or many other extras we take for granted.
Like Ben, the American dream was a very real idea to my grandparents as well. All four of my grandparents were immigrants to the US. My mom’s parents came from Canada in their 20’s to discover a better life. Both of my dad’s parents’ families immigrated from Spain to the US territory of Hawaii (not yet a state) in 1911. They were leaving behind a life of abject poverty for something more. Opportunity.
After a nearly two-month journey at sea, their respective families arrived in Hawaii as indentured servants to work in the sugar cane fields. My grandfather was 7 and my grandmother was 3. With jobs, a roof over their head and a community, they thought they had found paradise.
My grandmother was fortunate to be educated through the 8th grade in Hawaii, and she and her sisters worked as maids in the Schofield Barracks for US army officers. My grandfather never went to school after arriving in the islands. He went right to work in the fields like many other boys to help support their families.
Sixteen years later, in 1927, their families immigrated to San Francisco. My grandfather was not with his family at this time. When he decided to try to join them, he was unable to gain admittance to San Francisco. He became a laborer on a work ship with the hopes of getting to the main land. He jumped shipped in Canada. Still not a citizen, he was unable to cross into the US. So he joined the circus in Canada and became the barker for the half man/half woman. “Step right up ladies and gentleman.” You can’t make this stuff up.
When the circus train made it’s way down into the San Francisco Bay Area he joined the rest of his family. Much of their Spanish community ended up in the Mountain View area which was heavily agricultural and they picked crops. In other seasons they worked in canneries. My grandmother worked at the cannery which is now the site of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
My grandparents were married in 1928. They maintained their culture and language in the home but otherwise were passionate about assimilating into their new country. They changed the pronunciation of their sir name to sound more American. They both became US citizens in the 1940’s. My grandfather had to take a class where he learned all of the content for the citizenship test orally since he couldn’t read. Once they became citizens they were very proud to be able to vote. My grandparents would discuss the ballot and my grandmother would mark the boxes for my grandfather so he could take it as a guide when he went to vote.
My grandparents had four sons, my dad was the youngest. They lived in Oakland and they had very little, but the boys were not bound by their family’s station in life as they would have been in Spain. My dad joined the Army out of high school. He married my mom and they were stationed in Germany for two years. He learned discipline and a greater appreciation for this country and the opportunities it provided. When they returned to the US they began their life and family back in Oakland. My dad went to trade school and became a plumber. Several years later, in 1972, with a fire in his belly and the opportunity to pursue whatever he desired, he and a partner started their own plumbing company. My dad had a bigger vision for the company than his partner so he went out on his own just a few years later. Today the company is 44 years old and owned and operated by my brothers.
I have heard these stories about my grandparents’ journey to the US and about my parents’ humble beginnings my whole life. What’s amazing about this country is that neither my dad nor any of us kids ever believed our family background somehow limited us to a certain place in life. We recognized what our parents’ families had overcome and we saw nothing but opportunity ahead of us.
So this 4th of July I’m proud of this country and the opportunity it provides for all of its citizens. I’m grateful for our founders and their vision for this nation. I’m thankful for my grandparents’ families who had the desire to make a better life for themselves. I’m appreciative of all that my parents have accomplished and for their instilling in us a belief that we could accomplish anything to which we set our minds.
And I’m grateful for our friend Ben, and my dad, and all of the other veterans of our armed forces who served their country proudly. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for keeping this land free. God bless our veterans, and God bless the USA.
Photo Attribution: By Hawaiian Gazette (digitized photo from a 1907 newspaper article) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Common
Loved it!