Tirana Times
On Friday July 1st, the American community in Tirana gathered to celebrate the 235th anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence.
“If you ask any American what comes to mind when she or he thinks about the Fourth of July, you will likely get the following responses: parades, fireworks, barbeque picnics, baseball games, band music and flags, lots and lots of American flags,” stated U.S. Ambassador Alexander Arvizu during his opening remarks at the event. Indeed, the festivities were reminiscent of a large picnic or barbeque which included swimming, basketball, volleyball, soccer, magicians and fireworks.
“Being here, surrounded by hundreds of other expats and hearing English spoken all around me really makes me feel at home. It’s so laid back, just like a weekend grill party I would have back in the States,” commented Marisa, a student visiting one of the universities in Tirana.
“Yes, it is like home; but in the sense that there is so much diversity,” added Glen, a businessman. “I see more foreigners [meaning, American but not by origin] here than I see during all my times out in Tirana. It seems symbolic of the demographics we have in America.”
Yet, the 4th of Julyطhich commemorates the day the United States officially declared independence from Great Britainנhas a greater meaning than food and fireworks. Until 1776, the United States was a collection of colonies and territories under the rule of several different nations such as France, England, Spain and Denmark. The Northeastern seaboard of the Atlantic Ocean was largely controlled by the British, who divided the land into thirteen separate colonies of the British Empire.
After decades of British rule and being subject to British taxes, citizens of the colonies began to wish for their own government. Unlike the monarchy in Britain, they wanted a new country which would be ruled by elected officials and devote itself to the rights of the people. Hence, representatives of the colonies joined together in the Second Continental Congress and drafted a document announcing their independence from Britain. At this point, the American Revolutionary War was already well under way, and the resulting Declaration of Independence was more of a formality.
The Fourth of July is a memorial to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Congress on 4 July 1776. More specifically, the Declaration of Independence outlines the reasons for the colonies’ secession and outlines the goals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
As U.S. Ambassador Arvizu noted: “It’s part of our tradition to reflect on some of the timeless passages contained in the Declaration of Independence itself, for these words – and the spirit they convey – resonate as much today as they did in 1776:
“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. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governedŢ
Bringing the Declaration to an Albanian context, he added: “I have come to witness how these words – and the values they represent – have inspired countless numbers of citizens of Albania. In turn, I have been similarly inspired by the love and the passion that Albanians have for their countryŠAlbania’s rightful place in Europe, in the world and in historyŠis now yours. It is yours because you have earned it – through your constructive role in the region, and now, in places far, far away, through your active and meaningful contributions as part of the NATO alliance. The United States is and will remain a staunch supporter of Albania and the Albanian people,” concluded the U.S. Ambassador.
