On this Fourth of July, Echoes of the First One
By: Don Knebel • July 4, 2025
As we celebrate the 249th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, let’s recall the list of abuses it lays at the feet of King George III – abuses that made him “unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
Our history teachers emphasized complaints such as “imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.” But other abuses that may have seemed obscure back then are echoing today.
For example, the Declaration accused George III of “cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world.” The signers complained that the king had “made Judges dependent on his Will alone.”
The Declaration of Independence also accused the king of “obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners” and “refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither.”
Just modernize the language and you have a description of current events.
In 1775, the population of the 13 colonies totaled about 2.5 million people. Twice that number – an estimated 5 million – took part in the “No Kings” rallies on June 14 of this year. In more than 2,000 locations in all 50 states, they protested some of the same abuses of governmental power that motivated our Declaration of Independence from an overbearing and unaccountable British monarch.
Here in Indiana, some of our state officials are also evidencing autocratic impulses. A few examples:
Insisting that only their views – on history, religion and other matters – are acceptable, and those who dare to share other perspectives may be punished;
Thumbing their noses at oversight from co-equal branches of state government;
Imposing top-down control onto a flagship university; and
Telling state agencies to serve fewer Hoosiers in need – but insisting on driving around in luxury vehicles at taxpayer expense.
This Independence Day, let’s celebrate with parades, barbecues and all the other traditions. But let’s also take time to honor those who risked their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to make our independence possible.
Don Knebel is president of ReCenter Indiana Inc., which seeks to make Indiana politics more representative of everyday Hoosiers’ interests and values.