Drive Safely..., Please.The folks over at the History News Network are in a debunking mood. They have produced an article on the "Top Five Myths About the Fourth of July". In it they note that the independence resolution was adopted on the second, not the fourth; that signing took place over a period of several weeks or months, not in a single ceremony; that Betsy Ross didn't produce the flag; and that the Liberty Bell did not "ring in" independence. Ho hum!
Read the whole thing here, and check out the comments on Plato, Strauss, and "noble lies."
Does it really matter that the stories aren't true?
On one level it does, very much. A scrupulous regard for truth is essential to the historical enterprise. But what is far more important is that we, each year, take time to commemorate and reflect on the founding of our country and what it meant, and what it still means, to be an American. If the myths serve that purpose, then there is a good argument for keeping them.
You want fireworks? Check these out!
No comments:
Post a Comment