P. Pilgrim
Living in a country like Nepal that is hundreds of years old, to see that one of the most influential countries in the world the USA is only celebrating their 250th birthday anniversary may seem strange. This past weekend the international news has been full of their special celebrations for this relative young nation. The history of the present-day United States began in 1607 with the establishment of Jamestown in modern-day Virginia by settlers who arrived from England in the United Kingdom. Many of these people were religious pilgrims and because of persecuted they left England in search of freedom. They wanted to find a place of equality and freedom to worship and live in peace. They landed on the ship called the Mayflower from Plymouth in 1620. After many trials and struggles to survive they had grown and by the 1760s, thirteen colonies were established and were part of British America, with the British crown still ruling over them. However, the financial situation in Britain was becoming more difficult. After the British victory over the Kingdom of France in the French and Indian Wars, the English Parliament imposed a series of taxes and issued the Intolerable Acts on the colonies in 1773, which were designed to end self-governance. The British government needed to raise money to pay for all the wars and hoped that these taxes in the colonies would help fill the government treasury. Moreover, the government wanted more control. Thus, tensions between the colonies and British authorities subsequently intensified, leading to the Revolutionary War, which commenced with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. In June 1775, the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army and unanimously selected George Washington as its commander-in-chief. The following year, on July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted for the Lee Resolution which created the new nation, and on July 4th, 1776, formalized its independence from the Great Britian by issuing the United States Declaration of Independence. The Declaration has proven to be an influential and globally impactful statement on human rights. The Declaration was viewed by Abraham Lincoln as the moral standard to which the United States should strive, and he considered it a statement of principles through which the Constitution should be interpreted. In 1863, Lincoln made the Declaration the centerpiece of his Gettysburg Address against slavery, widely considered among the most famous speeches in American history. The Declaration’s second sentence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. It is considered one of the most significant and famed lines in world history. Today the USA has grown and is a federal republic consisting of 50 states with its federal capital district in Washington, D.C. Today they continue to strive to protect the same principles and values of freedom of religion and liberty.
What has drawn people to the USA over these past 250 years is what is still drawing people to the country today. The idea that all men were created equal is the foundation of this great nation. Whether someone is rich or poor they still have the same rights is a fundamental truth. The colour of your skin or your surname doesn’t matter, each person should be treated equally and fairly. The apostle Paul reminds us of this fact in the New Testament book of Act chapter 17 verse 26 ‘And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth…’ The living God doesn’t divide men into groups by colour or ethnicity, caste or wealth. He teaches that all men are created equal or of one blood. Those who trust in God whether male or female are brought into the family of God and told ‘for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.’ We are of the human race and God brings those who believe in him into his family and joins them with him. What a wonderful thought that you could be part of the family of God and experience true equality and peace. Happy birthday America.
