The commentary looks back at earlier U.S. anniversaries and major battles tied to the struggle for democracy and freedom: the 1976 bicentennial ceremony led by President Gerald R. Ford; the 1852 questioning of what July 4 meant to enslaved people by Frederick Douglass; and Civil War-era events including the Battle of Gettysburg, described as the war’s bloodiest, followed by Union defeat of the Confederacy. It also recalls World War II fighting referenced through the writer’s family history, including service linked to the battleship Pennsylvania and battles in Normandy.
Turning to the present, the piece says it’s time for civic action and equality, and it points to two concrete developments it treats as recent reasons for hope: the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 30 rejection of an effort to end birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, and the effect the author attributes to the decision for babies born to people in the U.S. without permanent status. The writer also calls for ending what they describe as an unjust war against Iran, citing the costs and the status of a June 17 ceasefire.