Independence Day; Free at Last!

History has given us the gift of some intriguing coincidences, as well as some compelling ironies. In observing both, there are times when, even though I hold him/her in great awe, I am convinced God is, if not a confirmed jokester, at least the owner of a genuinely robust sense of humor.

In last week’s post, I referenced July 4th, America’s official Independence Day. The piece was intended to serve a bridge to the Holiday. I have addressed at nauseam, the “principle of incompatibility” that divides holidays from organized labors such as reading, studying, and heaven forbid, working. To that end I usually try to ratchet it down a notch or two, or several, during holidays.

Looking back at Independence Days past, 1826 probably held one of the more noteworthy coincidences. July 4th, 1826, marked not only the 50th Anniversary of American Independence, but was a day two of our nation’s Founding Fathers, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, died. Yes, they died the same day in the same year. Such an occurrence today would almost certainly serve as a catalyst for rumors of a death pact.

Adams and Jefferson shared more than joint status as co-signers of the Declaration of Independence; they were the 2nd and 3rd Presidents of the United States, respectively. It is reported that Adams’ last words were, “Jefferson still survives.” However, unbeknownst to Adams, Jefferson had died earlier that day.

Adams and Jefferson had quite a concurrent history. Adams was the first to serve as America’s Vice President, he was the first President to live in the executive mansion (known today as the White House), and he was also the first President to be defeated in a re-election bid…by Jefferson, who had served as his Vice President.

Thomas Jefferson went on to become President after defeating Adams, but not without a bit of what we would think of today, as drama. Aaron Burr tied Jefferson with 73 electoral votes. As a result, the election was sent to the House of Representatives to determine the winner. After 36 ballots (that's right 36), Jefferson prevailed. In later developments, Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Not surprisingly, Burr's career in politics took a precipitous decline afterward, even though he was never convicted of a crime for his role in the incident.

Burr's leaving the office meant Jefferson had to secure another Vice President for his second term as President. After 203 years, P-Funk fans still tip their hat to Jefferson, as he selected George Clinton to hold the second chair. (Funk-a-teers will know what I mean).

The virtually concurrent deaths of Adams and Jefferson marked an intriguing Independence Day coincidence of considerable magnitude. This past Friday, Independence Day again collaborated with the death of a prominent political figure, this time in what many consider a compelling ironic twist. Former North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms, popularly known as Senator No, died leaving a highly volatile legacy for his supporters and detractors to debate.

It is a fact that there are those who consider Helms a patriot. Others have cited his “courage” to stand against the forces of change, on issues ranging from gay rights to trade agreements, to foreign aid. Many of his most notable tirades focused on issues of civil rights and affirmative action, and funding for AIDS research. He was also a leading Senate opponent of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, and he authored and/or approved the now famous, in North Carolina anyway, white hands commercial, aired during the first of two Senate campaign battles against former Charlotte Mayor, Harvey Gantt (1990).

The Honorable Senator No appeared to take great pride in his predictable opposition to progressive ideals, and often needled the media when he felt he had bested their desired interests. He earned the distinction of being North Carolina’s longest serving Senator. That is a noteworthy accomplishment, and cannot be diminished.

However, it must be noted that many of the tributes and editorials that began streaming forth Friday have sanitized the bigotry and mean-spiritedness that marked so many of Helms’ political encounters and triumphs. His was a divisive, zero-sum brand of politics that often targeted the historically disenfranchised for more abuse, insult, and exclusion. In that light, it is impossible to deny the essence of irony in the events of Independence Day, 2008. One can almost envision seeing and hearing the spirit of King, after having scaled the mountaintop, uttering that famous three-word phrase…

I’m done; holla back! Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clinton_(vice_president)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clinton_(funk_musician)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Helms

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=h000463

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1995/05/bates.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7490458.stm

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/04/obit.helms/index.html

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1871