Happy Independence Day from Market Chess

Seemingly lost in the shuffle of summer barbecues, beach days, and ball games, is the exhilarating story of the Revolutionary War, or the American War for Independence. On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed the independence of the United States of America from Great Britain and its king. was formally adopted by twelve colonies after some revisions to the document. 

As Benjamin Franklin was walking out of Independence Hall in Philadelphia after the Constitutional Convention in 1787, someone shouted towards him, “Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?”

Sharp and witty as ever, Frankly responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Some 244 years later, those words seem more relevant now than ever. 

On this Independence Day, we remember the Preamble to our Constitution which notes, in part, that we are to strive for "a more perfect Union." It is this struggle for a better Republic which defines us: Not perfection, nor holding our history or historical figures to the unattainable (for any civilization) standard of perfection, but rather accepting the imperfect history and recognizing that our overall Republic remains unparalleled in the history of the world...for as long as we can keep it. 

On a separate note, a photo that I have posted on Instagram from time to time is an item that I keep next to my grill during the summer--You may recall the "Uncle Sam's Fireworks Stand" collectible. 

A little background about it: I bought it on a long summer road trip twelve years ago. On that trip, I went to Little Big Horn Battlefield (Custer's Last Stand), Yellowstone National Park, and Mount Rushmore (I highly recommend visiting all three places).

I bought "Uncle Sam's Fireworks Stand" in one of the many small shops in Keystone, South Dakota, which of course is the town in the Black Hills region of the state where millions of visitors flock to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial every year. I remember the shop where I bought it, with some very nice ladies working there. The shop had tons of interesting antiques, trinkets, and souvenirs. I probably could have bought several boxes worth of items and spent much longer in the shop than I did. 

Just this weekend, I visited George Washington's Mount Vernon estate just outside of our nation's capitol. If you have never been there, I recommend the trip as a great way to spend some time connecting with our nation's history and the undisputed father of our republic. 

Happy Fourth of July.