54 | JULY 4 • 2024 
J
N

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at thejewishnews.com

America’s 
Independence Day
T

his week’s JN is published on July 
4th, Independence Day, the day to 
celebrate the birth of the United States 
of America and what might be called the 
“Great American Experiment.” Citizens of 
Great Britain’s 13 colonies on the Atlantic 
coast of North America 
declared their independence as 
a separate and free nation in 
1776. Likewise, these founders 
established the colonies’ 
inhabitants as a distinct people: 
Americans. 
Since the American 
Revolution, over the past 248 
years, the U.S. has grown into the most 
powerful nation on Earth, a social-economic 
dynamo with a record of success that is 
unmatched in world history. There has been 
tremendous progress along the way, but 
there are still many serious social-political 
issues to be dealt with. 
Sometimes, if one reads current daily 
news, it does seem as if we’ve regressed. 
There are “cultural divides” and the “haves 
and the have nots.” National politics 
are often venal, featuring the type of 
demagogues that the founders of America 
feared. Antisemitism, thought to be subdued 
after the Holocaust, is once again on the rise. 
 
Seeking a bit of solace, I wondered what 
the JN had to say about the meaning of July 
4th. More than 2,200 pages of the William 
Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit 
History refer to Independence Day (note: 
some of the pages after 1948 
refer to Israeli independence); 
July 4th is cited over 600 
times. Overall, there is some 
real wisdom on these pages, 
reminding us that this holiday is 
indeed a time for celebration of, 
and reflection about, our nation.
For one example, I found that 
the Independence Day editorial 

for 1943, written during the dark days of 
World War II, had a poignant message (July 
2, 1943, JN). It begins “July Fourth this 
year challenges all Americans to make the 
day one of true Independence. Americans 
must free themselves of all prejudices.” This 
message is still an urgent one today. 
The front page of the June 29, 1951, issue 
of the JN has an interesting headline: “To a 
baby born July 4th, 1951.” The brief essay 
on the cover begins with a question: “What 
kind of a world have we shoved you into?” 
It notes the perils facing America and what 
citizens must do to protect freedoms earned. 
Not unlike today.
I found Sheldon Engelmayer’s essay in 
the June 28, 1991, JN to be more uplifting. 
“For Jews, The Special Meaning of July 
4th” makes the point that “this is not a 
perfect nation because people are not 
perfect.” But, despite the fact that “hatred 
and discrimination still linger,” Engelmayer 
concludes, “we are free to live as Jews and 
still be equal partners in the American 
Dream.”
The editorial for July 4th in 1992 was 
“Take July 4th Personally When It Comes 
to Freedom” (July 3, 1992). It noted that 
50 years prior, the JN wrote that 700,000 
Jews had been murdered by the Nazis, and 
that those “European Jews had an intimate 
understanding of words like ‘freedom’ and 
‘independence.’” It recommended, “Teach 
your children that this American holiday is 
more than a fireworks display.” 
In short, the July 4th holiday is a reminder 
that the “American Experiment” is still 
ongoing, still a work in progress, but its 
achievements are worthy of celebration. 
While not perfect, America is a good place 
to live. 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN archives, 
available for free at thejewishnews.com.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair