The Squad’s Insanity May Be The New Story For Independence Day

"America is on stolen land" is no longer a fringe argument.

The Squad celebrated July Fourth by condemning the country they represent. “This July 4th, we must remember that we stand on stolen land toiled by enslaved Africans and recommit ourselves to the fight for freedom, equality, & justice so that these ideals are accessible to everyone, not just a privileged few,” tweeted Rep. Jamaal Bowman. “We are not free until everyone is truly free.”

“The Declaration of Independence was written by enslavers and didn’t recognize Black people as human,” declared Rep. Cori Bush on Twitter. “Today is a great day to demand Reparations Now.” The tweet signed off with a brown fist.

Obviously, these posts provoked outrage. It’s bizarre to see elected lawmakers trash America on its birthday. It’s just plain bad optics. But it’s increasingly common for public figures to do so.

Ben & Jerry’s, an ice cream company, issued an over-the-top press statement on the Fourth that argued America sits on stolen land. It also denounced Mount Rushmore for honoring four white colonizers who oppressed “indigenous” people. It’s strange for a major corporation to denigrate Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt in such hostile tones. It’s even weirder for a company to demand we give back this country to Indians, especially when Ben & Jerry’s headquarters may sit on “stolen” land itself. Needless to say, the statement is an odd way to sell more ice cream.

The majority of Americans would still disagree with these messages. While patriotism is in decline, most Americans are still proud of the country they live in. They don’t want to hear about how this country is evil on Independence Day. They’d rather hear how America is the greatest country to ever exist. 

It would’ve been unthinkable for any politician to go full Howard Zinn on America’s birthday just a few years ago. No matter how left-wing a politician, they would always talk about how proud they are to be an American. That has changed in a very short time. 

Are these voices just nutty outliers, or do they indicate a significant change in our society? It’s more the latter. While the majority is still largely patriotic, the youth are a different story. A March WSJ poll found that just 23 percent of Americans under 30 say patriotism is important. A January Morning Consult poll found that just 16 percent of Zoomers and 36 percent of Millennials say they’re proud to live in America. A 2020 Fox News poll found that 31 percent of Americans under 30 view the Founding Fathers as villains. That number is probably higher today. 

Bowman and Bush reflect the views of a sizable number of young Americans. The percentage of unpatriotic Americans will grow over time. It’s the intended goal of 1619 Project education. As more kids are taught from kindergarten to 12th grade to see their country as burdened by the sin of slavery, Jim Crow, and Indian Removal, more of them will hate this country. That will especially be the case if they’re non-white. If they’re taught that the history of America is one long narrative of evil whites oppressing non-whites, what will they be proud of? There’s also the incentive to present yourself as a victim of America to gain status in this country. No better way to do that than to highlight America’s alleged misdeeds against your people. Racial grievance is the path to success in our country today. 

It should be remembered that Cori Bush included a demand in her anti-America tweet. The only way America can atone for its sins is through reparations. This is the theme of Juneteenth, the holiday closest to July 4th on the calendar. While some conservatives have tried to paint Juneteenth as an all-American holiday, its left-wing celebrants openly claim it’s an occasion meant to shame the nation into radical reforms. If Critical Race Theory were a holiday, it would be Juneteenth. 

I’ve argued on Highly Respected before that Juneteenth could only one day supplant Fourth of July as the preeminent national holiday. It’s more aligned with the prevailing ideology emanating from the universities and public schools. It reinforces the idea that non-whites, particularly blacks, are the protagonists of American history while whites are the villains. In contrast, the Fourth is about a bunch of dead white men. It’s problematic and lacks diversity. It sends the message that whites are at the center of America’s story, a notion the Left wants to bury. This is why Juneteenth makes for a more appropriate holiday in our anti-white age.

But there’s a way to make Independence Day fit our new age. It can be a day to complain about the Founders and demand concessions from guilt-ridden whites. Rep. Bowman offered this possibility in his tweet. While condemning the evils of America, he creates a link with the values most Americans cherish. They prize freedom, equality, and justice. Bowman tells them that the best way to uphold these values is to serve non-whites. According to this reasoning, the Founders were bad but their principles were good–and the best carriers of those values are minorities like Bowman. This is also the message of the 1619 Project.

The new Fourth of July can still include fireworks, barbecues, and ice cold beer. The Declaration of Independence will still be cherished, and cited for why we need reparations. But the men who made the day happen will be cast aside for being too white and too bigoted. 

Bowman and Bush don’t hate America for its “freedom” or because of capitalism. They attack America because it was founded by whites. They seek a new founding story that makes non-whites the central characters and demonizes the founding stock. If anti-white racism triumphs in the classroom, that story will be the theme of woke Independence Day.