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The Fourth of July is a day to remember that this nation was founded not on the basis of ethnicity or religious affiliation, but on a set of ideas. While it has not always realized those principles (think slavery, the genocide of the natives, the relegation of women to a diminished status in civic life) and sometimes needed to take dramatic actions to put us back on a righteous path (eg. the Civil War), the United States remains the shining example of humankind's desire to govern itself rationally, in peace and harmony, with  kindness and tolerance. While it often seems we have strayed far from those ideals, we retained the ability to correct ourselves. In spite of our many flaws and the need to work incessantly on achieving our stated ideals, we are still the grand experiment in a multiethnic, multicultural democratic society founded by immigrants.

Just as many couples renew their marriage vows from time to time, July 4th is the day the nation renews its vows to reject apathy and intolerance, and renew its commitment to a decent civil society.