Party political: Anthony Manousos on the fourth of July

‘History shows it was possible to achieve independence without bloodshed.’

by Anthony Manousos 1st October 2021

As a child I loved the fourth of July, and looked forward to the fireworks. But when I became a Quaker I began to question the violence of the celebrations. When I hear ‘Bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there’ I don’t think of the British attacking Washington, which inspired those words from our national anthem, I think of Hiroshima, or Dresden. I never stand for the National Anthem. I love my country but abhor the violence for which it too often stands.