Racine Journal Times, WorkLife Section, June 15, 2008

Sweet Land of Liberty

The 4th of July is just around the corner. Should Mother Nature give us a break, I’ll head to Main Street for the parade, watch the fireworks in the evening and have a cookout with friends and family in between. This will be our two hundred thirty third celebration of our country’s birth. I suspect that, as time marches on, the depth and meaning of our country, what it stands for and the birthing pains endured by our founding fathers and mothers may be getting lost among the floats, brats and sparkling lights.

I must have tuned out during history class. That’s probably why I had a glorified, inaccurate perception of what happened leading up to and during the creation of our country. Why, for example, I ever had the impression that the revolutionary war was easily won by a bunch of pitchfork-bearing farmers is beyond me.

When I started reading more about early American history, I was astounded by what the facts revealed. One of my favorite books, brilliantly written by David McCullough, is “1776.” With no navy, no trained armed forces, little food and supplies (including shoes!), an inept Congress and an enemy which was highly skilled, well-paid and numerous, it’s no wonder that General George Washington mastered the art of retreat. McCullough’s account, written like a novel, helped me realize that our eventual victory was nothing less than miraculous.

Reading up on our past

Along with Washington, there were many who offered a hand (and then some) in sculpting our country. Benjamin Franklin, Abigail and John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison made important contributions. You can read more about them and Washington in “Founding Brothers” by Joseph J. Ellis.

After reading Ellis’ book, I gained a better understanding of the character and fallibility of some of these larger-than-life characters. Franklin was cautious about heading down the road toward independence, but once on that path, no one was more instrumental in making it happen. “Benjamin Franklin” by Walter Isaacson is my favorite account of Franklin’s life.

Jefferson was brilliant but hypocritical. He also employed nasty political tactics at times, as Adams discovered. You can learn more about Jefferson’s on and off again friendship with John and Abigail Adams, as well as Adams’ remarkable life, including his relationship with Abigail in “John Adams” by David McCullough.

Thomas Paine made a critical contribution with his writings, influencing the colonists to rally for independence. In January 1776, Paine published a pamphlet entitled “Common Sense,” selling upwards of 150,000 copies. That’s an astounding number considering it amounted to 6% of America’s population – about 18 million today.

Why would Paine, despite never keeping any money earned, or attaining long-lasting fame, from this best selling publication, bother writing it? By the fourth paragraph of “Common Sense,” it’s apparent that Paine’s motivation was deeply-rooted – something I suspect he just had to do, irrespective of any worldly gains.

Paine stated:

“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. Many circumstances hath, and will arise, which are not local, but universal, and through which the principles of all lovers of mankind are affected, and in the event of which, their affections are interested. The laying a country desolate with fire and sword, declaring war against the natural rights of all mankind, and extirpating the defenders thereof from the face of the earth, is the concern of every man to whom nature hath given the power of feeling; of which class, regardless of party censure, is THE AUTHOR.”

It’s no wonder that Paine’s words rallied more colonists to favor independence. Words are powerful. They can build us up or knock us down. They can create, and too often, they can destroy.

Debt of gratitude

George Mardikian immigrated to America in 1922 after suffering atrocities most of us, thankfully, will never know. A victim of the 1915 Turkish government’s attempt, through genocide, to eliminate the Armenian residents of Turkey, Mardikian not only witnessed his father’s killing, but was also imprisoned for seven years in a Turkish prisoner of war camp. That’s 2,555 days of starvation, horrible living conditions and no freedom. It’s not hard to understand why Mardikian, soon after being released from prison, came to America.

Mardikian’s love for our country was deep and genuine, which he didn’t hesitate to express – both through words and actions. About his arrival to New York, he said, “I was born on November 7, but I celebrate my birthday on July 24. That’s the day I began to live, the day I saw the Statue of Liberty.”

If Mardikian saw Lady Liberty up close that day, he probably didn’t understand the inscription on her base – a poem, “The New Colossus,” by Emma Lazarus – but I’m sure he would not have been disappointed by her words:

"….From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome...

'Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!' "

My love for our country, despite all its flaws, has deepened as I’ve learned more about her history. There are many to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for creating and protecting (thanks, Dad) our great country. There are others, like Mardikian, who used their gifts to remind us, in word and in deed, how fortunate we are to enjoy so much freedom. Spend some time learning more about our country’s history and you may find the fireworks a bit brighter, your brats a bit tastier and the parade better than ever.

Michelle Ouzounian, CMFC, is the founder and President of Verity Investment Counsel, Inc. (www.verityinvcounsel.com), a fee-only, independent registered investment advisory firm in Racine. Michelle can be reached at 262-898-8400, or m.ouzounian@verityinvcounsel.com.

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