As Americans gear up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, we must never forget those stirring words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The signers knew that full equality did not reign at the time, but the words gave inspiration and direction to future generations to accomplish that goal. We are still a work in progress.
King George III and Great Britain were highly incensed by the Declaration and were not about to acquiesce. They moved to put down the rebellion, increasing their forces and the ferocity of the violence as time went by. The Ken Burns six-episode series, recently aired on Idaho Public Television, gives a remarkable narration of the struggle. It is well worth watching during this time of celebration.
The Patriots were aware that they needed powerful allies for the revolution to succeed and sent Benjamin Franklin to Paris to enlist the French in our cause. The colonials had fared rather poorly in the early stages of the war. The French were reluctant to commit until it could be shown that we had a reasonable chance of winning. The Patriot victories at the two battles of Saratoga in the Fall of 1777 provided that showing.
The French officially entered the war early in 1778 and declared war on Great Britain later that year. France’s main contribution to victory was the fact that it was contesting the British in many areas across the globe, particularly the lucrative sugar-producing Caribbean islands. The cost of defending its widespread territory became too great for the British, causing them to lose enthusiasm for the continuation of the American hostilities.
The Revolutionary War provides a powerful narrative. A feisty little wannabe nation tirelessly fighting to throw off the yoke of a powerful oppressor and willing to risk it all for freedom and self-determination. Just the right opening for a benevolent world power to step in and help out.
As it turns out, the United States had an opportunity to return the favor by coming to the aid of France in two world wars in the last century. Although the US has been involved in many conflicts, skirmishes and wars since our revolution, there has not been another one that quite fits the narrative of the Revolutionary War. Well, not until Russia’s genocidal war against Ukraine.
There is an interesting parallel between our revolution and the war that Russia’s dictator, Vladimir Putin, has been prosecuting against the Ukrainians. The old Soviet Union gained full control over Ukraine in 1920 and maintained a tight grip over the country until the Soviet Empire disintegrated in 1991.
Putin, a devoted Soviet, has done all in his power to reconstruct the Soviet Union, including the subjugation of Ukraine. The Ukrainians, much like the American Patriots in 1776, are not willing to live under those oppressive conditions. When Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, much of the world believed that he would succeed. But the people of that pugnacious country have consistently demonstrated that they will risk everything for freedom and self-determination.
The United States initially responded by providing substantial military aid to the Ukrainians, but with nonsensical limitations on how and where powerful weapons could be used. As the war slogged on, America’s leadership changed hands, resulting in severe cutbacks in lethal aid. The US government even pushed the Ukrainians to cave to Russian demands to cede territory and take other needless actions that would endanger its ability to maintain its freedom and self-determination. Their President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was told in the White House that he had no cards to play.
Zelenskyy and his Ukrainian Patriots were having none of it. They essentially channeled Patrick Henry’s historic words, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Ever since, they have intensified their efforts, innovated new battlefield strategies, used cutting-edge technology to develop remarkable new weaponry, and started to turn the tide against a lumbering, exhausted Russian military. They have indeed shown that they have the will and staying power to eventually maintain their freedom.
Ukraine is the epitome of that feisty collection of American colonies, risking all to preserve their way of life and showing they have the desire and ability to prevail. Now is the time for the United States to pay it forward by providing Ukraine the resources and support it needs to follow in the footsteps of our great nation–the nation that will be celebrating its similar journey to freedom on this Fourth of July.
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