Remarks by Ambassador Marcie B. Ries - Independence Day Celebration (July 4, 2006)

Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, Ministers, Ambassadors, the US Ambassador to Greece, Honored Guests, first I want to welcome you to our celebration of America’s 230th birthday. 

Standing here in Albania where one can see the remnants of cities that flourished hundreds or even more than two thousand years ago – that seems quite young.

Yet, today we do not focus on the number of years of independence so much as we celebrate the foresight of our Founders and the fact that the values and the ideals they wrote into our Declaration of Independence 230 years ago are still the ideals by which we live. 

It is true that we may be something of a teenager from the perspective of the history of civilizations, but the United States is a senior citizen among democratic nations.

Over the past 230 years, America has grown from 13 colonies to 50 states, has taken in wave after wave of immigrants seeking a better life, has withstood war and depression and has emerged as a stronger, more just, and more inclusive society.

There are many theories and learned books about why this has happened.  Some say geography, others argue history, or the national character, the fact that Americans are quite individualistic. 

But I would contend that the real reason is the strength of these ideas, the values and principles upon which our nation was founded, and the faith of Americans in them, that has enabled our country to grow and flourish.

It is interesting that throughout the course of the history of the United States, leaders have invoked the very ideals contained in the Declaration of Independence not to keep things the way they are but to promote change – to promote a fuller realization of their values.

For example, the campaign for women’s equality began on a hot summer day in upstate New York in 1848, when a young housewife and mother, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was invited to tea with four women friends.  The tea party turned into a serious conversation about the limitations on the participation of women in the new democracy.

Stanton and her supporters started what became a nationwide campaign for women's rights directly to that powerful American symbol of liberty--the Declaration of Independence. 

A decade later, Abraham Lincoln, perhaps our most revered President, also invoked the Declaration to passionately argue against the injustice of slavery on the 82nd birthday of the United States:

Lincoln said “I should like to know if taking this old Declaration of Independence, which declares that all men are equal upon principle and making exceptions to it where will it stop?

Thus, the Declaration of Independence has also served a powerful and steadfast reminder for all Americans of the ideals upon which our nation was founded, a living document used to right wrongs and fully realize the ideals of equality and freedom.

The significance of July 4, then, lies above all in recalling the values of our founding fathers, the values that Americans, though we are spread over a vast territory and come from many backgrounds and speak many languages, all consider our own. 

I want to thank all of you, Albanians and friends from around the world for joining me and the American community today in helping us to celebrate this day that means so much to us.

Finally, I would like to thank the Allied Forces Naples band for entertaining us tonight and invite you all for a moment to enjoy Katie Wood, the band’s singer, performing America the Beautiful.

This event would not be complete without a toast, and so I want to invite you to raise a glass to toast the strong bonds of friendship between our two nations and the values we share.

Cheers and Gezuar!

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