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America's Birthday in District 3

July 4, 2009

Across our nation today friends and neighbors, young and old, gathered for July 4th celebrations for America's 233rd birthday! I attended programs hosted by the Hollywood/Rose Hill Neighborhood Association and the Melrose Heights Association.

As I met with residents I was reminded of how much of America's great journey in democracy is reflected in the experiences of our Columbia. Established three years after the Revolutionary War ended as our new state capital, our very name--"Columbia" ---reflects the American ideals of liberty, freedom, and justice. Indeed, the symbolic "Miss Columbia" was an early representation of  our democracy in its earliest years. Read her story>>

The evolution of our democratic concepts can be traced in our City's urban history. We are indeed fortunate to have historic structures and places that illuminate Columbia and America's past--historic homes like the Hampton-Preston Mansion, the Celia Mann Cottage, the Woodrow Wilson home, and the Modjeska Simpkins house; historic churches and cemeteries; and government buildings, including our own City Hall, erected in the 1870s and the site of the infamous Klu Klux Klan trials during Reconstruction.

Our neighborhood histories, especially in Hollywood/Rose Hill and Melrose Heights, tell us about the hopes and aspirations of Columbians in shaping and experiencing our American dream. These two neighborhoods, both established at the turn of the twentieth century, were home to our city's early doctors and nurses, lawyers, educators, artists, and architects. Their sons served in World War One,  and their grandsons and granddaughters were part of the "Greatest Generation" that defended democracy against the tyranny of fascism. That tradition of personal sacrifice and duty continues today.

At both celebrations neighborhood children held center stage--a great reminder  of our need to preserve those special structures and places that reflect our history for future generations of Columbians.