Sunday, September 02, 2007
Independence Day
Today is September 2, Independence Day in Viet Nam. The streets are lined with flags and today and tonight there will be parades and fireworks to celebrate.
Ho Chi Minh wrote and delivered the declaration in 1945. It is striking to see the similarities between this document and our own. Perhaps not so striking, since he based it on the American declaration.
It begins: "All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness"
This immortal statement was made in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America m 1776. In a broader sense, this means: All the peoples on the earth are equal from birth, all the peoples have a right to live, to be happy and free.
The Declaration of the French Revolution made in 1791 on the Rights of Man and the Citizen also states: "All men are born free and with equal rights, and must always remain free and have equal rights." Those are undeniable truths."
Then there is a long laundry list of misdeeds by the French. When I went back and looked at our own document, there is also this list of misdeeds by the British.
At the time of the speech in 1945, there were American OSS agents who were in contact with Ho Chi Minh. They actually advised Washington to recognize his government. Ho Chi Minh wrote eight letters to Truman asking for U.S. recognition and assistance. Truman, fearing Ho Chi Minh's obvious communism, refused and the rest is history. Historians often debate how much bloodshed could've been avoided if Washington had took the OSS agents advice.
I speculate a little on these historic points, but mostly I'm just enjoying a day off. I've been working very hard at the school and am adjusting to my "Kindy" classes. I love working with our littlest students, it keeps me energized! In fact, I find it much easier than working with adults or teenagers. I just don't have the same rapport!
For more info on Vietnam's declaration: http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/van_kien/declar.html
For comprehensive info on the American declaration:
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/declaration_transcript.html
Ho Chi Minh wrote and delivered the declaration in 1945. It is striking to see the similarities between this document and our own. Perhaps not so striking, since he based it on the American declaration.
It begins: "All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness"
This immortal statement was made in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America m 1776. In a broader sense, this means: All the peoples on the earth are equal from birth, all the peoples have a right to live, to be happy and free.
The Declaration of the French Revolution made in 1791 on the Rights of Man and the Citizen also states: "All men are born free and with equal rights, and must always remain free and have equal rights." Those are undeniable truths."
Then there is a long laundry list of misdeeds by the French. When I went back and looked at our own document, there is also this list of misdeeds by the British.
At the time of the speech in 1945, there were American OSS agents who were in contact with Ho Chi Minh. They actually advised Washington to recognize his government. Ho Chi Minh wrote eight letters to Truman asking for U.S. recognition and assistance. Truman, fearing Ho Chi Minh's obvious communism, refused and the rest is history. Historians often debate how much bloodshed could've been avoided if Washington had took the OSS agents advice.
I speculate a little on these historic points, but mostly I'm just enjoying a day off. I've been working very hard at the school and am adjusting to my "Kindy" classes. I love working with our littlest students, it keeps me energized! In fact, I find it much easier than working with adults or teenagers. I just don't have the same rapport!
For more info on Vietnam's declaration: http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/van_kien/declar.html
For comprehensive info on the American declaration:
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/declaration_transcript.html
