Chamoru Reflections on America's Independence Day

This week, Guam is preparing for Typhoon Bavi which will hit the Marianas.

While that is obviously the most present thing in our minds here in the Western Pacific, in our particular corner of the American Empire. Much of the United States is focused on other things.

For more than two centuries, this time of year is reserved for celebrations, commemorations, mythology-making around the origins and destiny of the United States.

It is July 4th, Independence Day, a time where much is said about the genesis of the United States, but many of the most basic and most critical questions remains painfully unasked by most.

This year's commemoration is meant to be larger and greater because it falls on the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. While the celebration is both smaller, laughable and more visibly partisan and usual, because of the current administration, these are sometimes lamented as exceptions to the norm, but from a certain perspective of the United States and its history, these are in truth the norm.

What is America's story to those who weren't meant to be included at its founding? What is America's story to those where there are still millions today who fight for their erasure or their exclusion from both history and the present? What is America's story and its tale of liberty, freedom and the grand democratic experiment to those who are denied the rights to vote and their rights to self-determination in ways both small and large?

While I await the loss of electricity due to Typhoon Bavi, I thought I would share some Chamoru reflections on Independence Day. The first was one that I found more than 20 years ago on the website Daily Kos, written by Hope Cristobal Jr. while she was still a graduate student in the states. The rest are from others thinking about the place of the Chamoru people and Guam in relation to the United States and where we want to go from here, especially after more than 120 years of being attached to the imperial whims of the United States.

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July 4th - The Irony of America's "Independence Day"

by Hope Cristobal Jr.
Daily Kos - July 4, 2006

I have often wondered whether American’s understand what they celebrate every year on July 4th “Independence Day.” Perhaps some Americans consider this day as nothing more than a holiday, time for family, “Summer time is here!” Perhaps some Americans do reflect on the true meaning of this day—America’s independence from their mother country, given to them 230 years ago.

Every American treasures and values their own independence. American parents raise their children with the hopes that one day they will be independent—their children will be able to make their own decisions and live freely as they choose. Isn’t this every American’s dream? And to have a sense of independence in one’s life is an essential need—that vital and quintessential value that American’s hold from the day they are born till the day they die.

Let us reflect now on this American value and the truth of the matter. Did you know that today, America owns territorial possessions around the world? A “possession” means that America has taken ownership of lands, where it was not initially their own, and use these lands for their own benefit. In this modern day, we could call these possessions “colonies.” American’s did not ask nicely for these lands and its people, they used force to obtain these lands—killing many indigenous along the way. America has drafted up documents stating that Congress, the Senate, and the Executive Office “has the power to dispose of, and make all needful rules and regulations” on the individuals who live in these lands without their consent. These documents also state that these “owned” individuals are not even subject to the rights inherent in the U.S. Constitution—“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness!” Where is the “independence” so coveted by American’s when they own and possess other people and their land and do not provide them the very essential human liberties which should be afforded any living creature?!

As a U.S. citizen, I refuse to partake in a celebration of “independence” when the truth of the matter is that America has willfully taken away another’s independence so that they can reap the benefits. The irony in this is that America knowingly abuses others in the very same way they have been abused.

Think critically as you enter into a celebration of America’s independence from colonial status and remember that YOU, as Americans, continue to own colonies today! Indigenous people today suffer in their lives and livelihoods because of their colonial status. They do not deserve the hardships they face because of their lack of independence, just as America did not! I call on Americans to educate themselves and others on these matters! Allow the people of American colonies to live the life of liberty and freedom that you yourselves find so priceless! 

 

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 "The Relevance of Independence Day for an American Colony"

by Dr. Laura Torres Souder

Guam Daily Post

July 4, 2021 

 

We all learned in school that Independence Day is a federal holiday commemorating the American Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The 13 American colonies selected representatives who convened the Continental Congress to declare that they were no longer subjects of and subordinate to King George III of Britain. American colonial subjects fought their British colonizers in what became known as the American Revolution to gain their independence. They proclaimed that they were united, free and independent states.

July Fourth is celebrated with marching bands and parades, fireworks, carnivals, picnics, ballgames, family get-togethers, and political ceremonies and speeches which mark the significance of this special day in the American calendar. This holiday is clearly important to Americans everywhere and has become part and parcel of national tradition.

What about those of us who are colonial subjects in the far-flung reaches of the American Empire? What significance does this celebration of independence have for us here in Guam or in other American colonial unincorporated territories? How do we make sense of this day, which rivets national attention on the values, ideals and principles of democracy that undergird patriotism and the founding of the American Republic?

For one thing, we must never forget that colonization is fundamentally un-American and that decolonization is a social and political undertaking that is memorialized on July Fourth. So, we must take the challenges we face seriously, as we take steps to decolonize our beliefs, actions, loyalties and relationships in both personal as well as political spheres.

Decolonization is a painstaking process. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines painstaking this way: “taking pains, expending, showing or involving diligent care and effort.” It is not easy or speedy, and it can indeed be painful. Notwithstanding, it is imperative if we are to live up to the promise embodied in what the Fourth of July represents. As American citizens, even those of us who are second-class citizens, we must heed the values, ideals and principles of democracy embedded in the founding documents of the American Republic. We must walk the talk.

The core principles of self-governance, the right to vote and equality of all citizens are hard fought pillars of America’s “freedom and liberty for all” national mission. There is much to be done to ensure that these principles do not ring hollow but are truly the cornerstone of American life and civil rights. The political chaos and recent betrayal of these principles is alarming. Some news pundits describe current political maneuvers as threats to American democracy itself.

Various political factions have defied the truth and have gripped Americans in a tailspin of lies and deceit. It is truly astounding that a nation which has taken such great pride in its notable achievement of establishing a democratic form of government for the people and by the people now faces its most daunting challenge in our lifetime. Independence Day should remind all American citizens that we must never turn a blind eye to racism, sexism, bigotry, language bullying and other forms of hatred which fracture and polarize. These behaviors mock the principles on which the nation was built.

Here on Guam, such commemorative days should remind us that we are not free from colonial rule. Guam is a non-self-governing territory. Our governing powers are subject to the whims of House and Senate members, who may not be familiar with or care about our fate. Members of Congress always take leave from their regular sessions in Washington, D.C. to celebrate and recreate with family and their constituents on July Fourth. While it does seem far-fetched in the political landscape that defines 2021, it would be wonderful if this day can inspire members of the House and Senate to recognize that the work of decolonization is still unfinished business.

As colonial subjects, the indigenous people of Guam, the CHamoru people, have yet to exercise self-determination. Sadly, before the day ends, many will join in the excitement and jubilation of this immensely popular holiday, without regard for its origins and its promise of freedom and liberty for all.

 

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Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the United States

Dr. Robert Underwood

Pacific Daily News

July 3, 2026

 

The irony and discomfort associated with the 250th anniversary of the United States has affected most of America.

Gallup reports that only 33% of Americans are “extremely proud to be American” as compared to 51% in 2001. As advertised, Guahan will be the first but certainly not the last to experience this mixture of pride, ambiguity about identity and the feeling that America’s promise has not been fulfilled.

Of course, this anxiety is made worst by the Trump Presidency. This administration is based on division, false bravado and failed projects from losing to Iran in the Persian Gulf and to algae in reflecting pools. It is easy to have our attention diverted but I refuse to let it be about him.

There are three points to be made here from where we sit as an unincorporated territory of the United States in the 250th anniversary of its existence. We must remember that Guahan was acquired by “right of conquest” rather than any application of human rights.

First Point. We should be proud to be associated with the American project, to be part of the national effort to fulfill the promise that was made in 1776 about the “self-evident truths” which we all receive from the Creator. All men are equal and have the same rights. Furthermore, governments are instituted which “derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

I believe in these principles which animate the American promise and experiment. As they say in Congress when you agree with someone, “I associate myself with those remarks.” We remain hopeful that these ideas will be applied to Guahan at some point in time. It doesn’t take much political analysis to see that these are not currently applied here. Of course, over time, there has been progress in defining and including more Americans in the proposition “consent of the governed.” It may have taken a Civil War, constant demonstrations and struggle, but America has made progress.

Second point. We must not ever confuse our identity as a unique cultural, social and political phenomenon with that of the United States. Guahan has a separate identity based on CHamoru roots which extend back nearly 4,000 years. Any attempt to insert that identity into the American project is not designed to enhance it. It is designed to redefine it so it doesn’t matter in our lives anymore.

This was done in the Bicentennial when the Malesso’ Monument to the village’s martyrs were painted red, white and blue. That was a monument to CHamoru resistance in the face of a cruel occupation. It was led by CHamoru young men who had enough and took up arms. It was that simple. They were doing it for themselves not for America.

Redefining that or any CHamoru historical project in ways to fit it into an American narrative is to deny agency. It is meant to deny the capacity to stand on your own. This kind of blending of historical events with the power and might of the United States debases Guahan. It doesn’t enhance it.

Four CHamoru soldiers (Salas, Mendiola, Aguon and Acosta) were executed in 1885 for assassinating the Spanish governor. Today, Hurao is quoted liberally from a speech given in 1671. His words are on the wall of the Guam Museum. Someone out there might think it is a great idea to have these soldiers carry U.S. flags or give Hurao a red, white and blue sinahi. Stop them.

Third point. Stop whining about America not loving you back. Guahan has a history of loyalty to the United States that is based on military enlistment rates, sacrifice during World War II and death rates during all American wars since World War II. These sacrifices are real. The contribution is great. The value of Guahan continues to be outsized for America’s geostrategic positioning in this part of the world.

We can all agree that disproportionate burden doesn’t result in proportionate gains. But I just can’t understand elected officials who continue to point to this record and ask, “Why is America not loving us back? Why are we not being treated fairly, equally or even acknowledged much?”

It sounds like the pining of a one-way love affair. We act like a jilted lover waiting to be uplifted by the attention of the object of our affection. It really is time to get over it.

Start asking different questions about intentions and plans and stop offering unrequited love songs. Tell them what you won’t support. Draw a line. Explain what leveraging the military build up means clearly, not with some nebulous concepts and interminable meetings. Just say no.

On this 250th anniversary of the United States, I will proclaim my admiration and support for the completion of America’s yet unfulfilled promise of equality and consent of the governed. For that I am extremely proud to be a US Citizen.

I will simultaneously be energized by the example of a people who have struggled to thrive and survive on this island. Lastly, I will attempt to ignore the nonsense that presents a strange combination of resentment and patriotism and resignation to accept things as they are – even when they are harmful.

Happy Fourth of July My Fellow Americans! Put fabot.

 

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"What is Independence Day to Chamorus?"

Michael Lujan Bevacqua

Pacific Daily News

July 9, 2020

 

Since 2017, Independent Guåhan has organized an annual concert each July called “Na’lå’la’: Songs of Freedom.” This concert brings together music, poetry, art and culture for an afternoon and evening and is normally held in the front field of Adelup. As a co-chair for the group, this event is one of highlights of our educational/outreach activities. 

The decision to hold this concert in July is tied to a need to reimagine locally the celebration of Independence Day. Each July 4, the U.S. is called on to remember its origins, to recall the Founding Fathers and a new nation declaring its desire for a new political destiny.

This is a history that can be inspiring, even for those who may have been denied a starring role in it. For many white Americans, the story seems to be an uncomplicated one, but for many others this isn’t the case. That origin is marred by a number of original sins that have long since stained the U.S. and how it has evolved and how it has struggled.

The rhetoric and promise that gave birth to the U.S. wasn’t the same for African Americans, Native Americans or women or all colors. The soaring ideals of America’s independence didn’t immediately provide them with liberty, with rights or even with basic dignity.

And those changes whereby groups received justice didn’t come about because of celebrations and fireworks. They came about because people recognized that the history may not include them and may actually be written against their own rights and destinies. They recognized their position in relation to that history and they organized and worked with allies to get the system to change.

This is why Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” is so important. While Douglass, a former slave, was aware of the positive possibilities that the U.S. could afford African Americans, he was under no illusions that simply celebrating the holiday alongside white Americans would help get them there. His powerful words still resonate today,

“What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? ... What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.”

He reminded the U.S. that living up to its rhetoric and the great ideals is espoused depended upon reckoning with those who had excluded and displaced, and those upon whose lives and land America had been built, but for whom basic rights and human dignity had been withheld.

The holding of Independent Guåhan’s concert on July 4 is for a similar purpose. What to a CHamoru, with its own complicated history to the U.S., is the Fourth of July? To what is that day to someone who lives in a territory, where the rhetoric is offered in full force, but basic rights such as self-determination and democratic participation are not?  

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“ Guam: Where America’s 250th Birthday Will First Be Honored”

 

As the country celebrates its past, let it also recognize the place where its future security begins: an island that has given more to the United States than most Americans will ever know.

 

By Frank Blas Jr.

The Diplomat

July 2, 2026

 

When the sun rises on July 4, 2026, it will shine on Guam before reaching any other American soil. Long before fireworks light the skies over Washington, Philadelphia, or Boston, the first American community to greet the nation’s 250th birthday will be a small island in the western Pacific, an island that has given more to the United States than most Americans will ever know.

“Where America’s Day Begins” is not a slogan crafted for tourism. It is a reflection of Guam’s place in the American story: geographically distant, strategically essential, and unwaveringly loyal. As the United States marks its semiquincentennial, Guam will once again stand at the front of the national timeline, and it is time the rest of the country recognizes what that truly means.

For generations, the people of Guam have lived at the forward edge of American defense. Our island sits at the heart of the Indo‑Pacific, the region now shaping global security and economic competition. The bases on Guam anchor U.S. deterrence, power projection, and humanitarian response capabilities across half the globe. Our families live with the responsibilities and risks that come with that role every day.

And our service is not abstract. Guam’s sons and daughters have fought and died in every major American conflict since World War II at rates far above the national average. Our veterans carry the scars of wars fought thousands of miles away, even as our island remains one of the most strategically targeted locations in the world.

Yet despite this extraordinary commitment, Guam is too often invisible in the national conversation. Many Americans do not know that the people of Guam are U.S. citizens. Fewer still understand the island’s central role in safeguarding the nation’s interests in the Indo‑Pacific.

The 250th anniversary of the United States offers a rare opportunity to change that. As the first place in America to welcome this historic day, Guam can remind the nation, and the world, that we are not a distant outpost. We are an integral part of the American family, a frontline community whose patriotism is proven and whose strategic value is unmatched.

But recognition must lead to responsibility. If Guam is indispensable to the U.S. defense posture, then the nation must treat Guam as indispensable. That means investing in the civilian infrastructure that protects our families. It means strengthening healthcare, hardening utilities, and ensuring that as the military mission expands, the quality of life for our residents is not left behind. It means acknowledging that national security begins with community security.

When the sun rises on July 4, 2026, it will illuminate the first chapter of America’s 250th birthday, and it will shine first on a people who have stood watch for the nation with loyalty, resilience, and quiet courage.

As the country celebrates its past, let it also recognize the place where its future security begins. Let the celebration start where America’s day begins, on Guam, an island that has always been essential to the American story.