Happy 4th of July

Remember that scene in “The Way We Were” when Hubbell played by Robert Redford, and his pals are talking about the best year and the best day of their lives? Of course, it is always in the past. Redford, playing Streisand’s gorgeous goyishe guy in that movie was the reason I had a crush on him. That was dispelled by my very dull interview with the actor.

Still, I do think we keep in our mind best days. What’s your best 4^th of July? As it gets closer, I’ve been thinking about mine. I know in my family there were certain rituals. When my two sons were small, we’d watch the movie “1776,” a musical. It’d be on one of the three channels. Year after year, 4^th of July, after 4^th of July, we’d watch it sometime during the day. It’s a fairly accurate enactment of the final debates about independence and the writing of the Declaration. I’m currently taking a course on the Declaration, and the professor keeps referring to the movie with affection. Now it’s hard to find even on classic movie channels. I know one of my sons has a DVD of the movie and will make his son watch. I recommend it if you can find it.

The very best 4^th of July? I guess the Bicentennial, 50 years ago and yet it was a tough time in our history. It was a period of high inflation. I was at Family Circle then and our best coverline was “Feed a family of four on one pound of chopped meat.” We used it over and over again, I wonder if some internet food editor is looking for recipes like that right now.

In 1976 the Vietnam War had ended the year before and ended badly. The soldiers were coming home and not being given the respect they deserved. And Nixon was gone, flying back to San Clemente, his wife and daughters in tears. My friend, the great photographer Harry Benson was on that flight. “It was terrible,” he has said.

But there was an amazing feeling of patriotism as if “the guardrails of democracy” had held and it was time for a reset. One of the biggest events of the Bicentennial was Operation Sail, which featured 16 majestic tall ships and over 200 vessels from 30 nations parading past the Statue of Liberty up the Hudson River. It was the largest peacetime maritime gathering in American history, a million people lined the waterfront.

I live in an apartment on the Hudson and of course we gave an all-day party, watching the ships, eating hot dogs and potato chips on red, white and blue paper plates, drinking beer out of plastic cups. That’s the way I entertained in those days. With lots of kids running around, eating too many brownies and chocolate chip cookies, shrieking with excitement as each elegant tall ship glided right passed our eyes.

Afterwards that evening we went downtown with another couple to watch the fireworks. I’m sure we all wore some kind of crazy hats. My sons were so happy just being on the subway, holding our hands, cheering at the fireworks and coming home late after 11pm. They still went to bed early then. They were little boys.

Yes, it was the best but there were other good times. That patriotic son, grown up, had an apartment in Arlington, Virginia. You could see the fireworks over the Capitol from the balcony. There are no tall buildings in the District. He gave party after party.

And, a couple of times, I’ve been on a beach in Florida watching fireworks while Cuban music played. Last year I went to a much sought after local party in Connecticut with a massive fireworks display. Very impressive but kind of hard to find a seat, then kind of hard to find the car and get away. Sometimes celebrating can be a bit of a chore.

Still John Adams gave clear instructions on how to celebrate. But he thought we should do it on July 2nd which was the day the Second Continental Congress voted for independence. Twelve of the 13 colonies voted yes while New York being New York abstained. New York agreed a couple of weeks later. We celebrate on the 4^th because that’s the day the Declaration was approved and accepted by the Congress.

Adams suggested we mark the occasion with “Pomp and Parade with shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” And we are still doing that.

Our Founding Fathers were personally flawed but remarkable. Adams was brilliant but a workaholic who had three sons. One became President. Two were drunks and gamblers who resented their father’s total focus on independence, his own vanity, and the amazing Abigail. Jefferson had children with Sally Hemings, a slave who was his wife’s half-sister. On his deathbed he freed Sally’s children but not Sally.

Difficult, competitive, brilliant, they gave us our republic. An impossible achievement. “If we can keep it,” Ben Franklin, just as complicated and vain, warned.

There will be another tall ship parade up the Hudson this July 4^th our 250^th anniversary. I won’t be there giving a party. My sons are at their own homes and many of my guest are gone. I probably will be at a friend’s barbeque. No fireworks, thank you. But I will raise my flag outside my house. It’s the flag that flew over the Capitol on the day my husband, a Brit, became an American citizen. My son who worked in Congress then got it for him. Another memory. Another time we were all together celebrating being Americans.

I know I’m talking about the past and that’s easy. Sometimes it can be harder these days to feel patriotic. It’s very difficult for some of my friends. But I believe what our Founders built is still strong enough to withstand threats from without. I believe it’s strong enough even in trying times to withstand threats from within. So, I won’t be a sunshine patriot. I won’t let those I disagree with take away my love for this country.

Happy 4^th of July.

Tell me how you have celebrated or will be celebrating. And how you feel about America today.