Speeches & Op-Eds
Celebration of the 231st Anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America
Remarks and Toast by Chargè d’Affaires Dr. D. Brent Hardt
July 4th, 2007
Protocol having been so expertly established by Miss Edwards, let me begin by acknowledging His Excellency, Governor General The Honorable Arthur Hanna;
Minister, the Hon. Orville Turnquest and Mrs. Turnquest; His Excellency, Archbishop Patrick Pinder;
Government Ministers and Ministers of State; Members of Parliament; Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Other senior government officials; Bahamian friends and American colleagues; Former Ambassador John D. Rood
Happy Independence Day!
My wife, Saskia, and I would like to welcome all of you to Liberty Overlook. It is a special honor to have the Governor General, Minister and Mrs. Turnquest, and Archbishop Pinder with us today to help us celebrate the 231st Anniversary of the Independence of the United States.
I would also like to convey my sincere thanks to all of our program participants. First, Miss Lori-Ann Edwards of C.V. Bethel High School, thank you so much for serving as our Mistress of Ceremonies this evening. I asked Miss Bethel to join us after hearing her present her award-winning essay for the Embassy’s Martin Luther King competition earlier this year. Her essay and her delivery were so compelling that I said then and am more convinced tonight that she will be a future prime minister of the Bahamas. Miss Bethel has continued to excel in all she does. You are a credit to the Bahamas and to your parents. Thank you.
A special thanks also goes to the Carmichael Primary School Choir for their beautiful rendition of the Bahamian National Anthem and to the Embassy’s very own American Idol, Jerome Hill for bringing out the beauty of the Star Spangled Banner. Thank you both.
I would like to thank the 88th Rhode Island National Guard Band for serenading us this evening with their outstanding repertoire of mellifluous music. Thank you for joining us for the second year in a row and for coming all the way from Rhode Island to share your abundant talent with us.
I would be remiss not to take a moment recognize the generosity of our many sponsors who have made today's celebration possible. My sincere thanks to all of you for allowing us to mark this special day in such grand style.
Special thanks also to my Embassy staff who have labored brilliantly for months to prepare for this evening and to the many family volunteers who made the grounds so beautiful tonight.
Finally, to all of our distinguished guests, thank you for joining us to help celebrate this special day in our national life.
Each year at this time we recall the vision of our founding fathers in shaping a vibrant and enduring democracy rooted in the inalienable rights of every individual. Even more, we look back in awe at their determination and sacrifice.
It was 231 years ago today that 56 men came together in the city of Philadelphia to make a decision that would change the course of history. On the face of it was a seemingly simple decision: to assert the right of the people in the American colonies to govern themselves.
But as our founding fathers stepped up to the table to sign the document before them, they knew that this decision carried consequences -- it could cost them their lives, the lives of their loved ones, their possessions, and their prosperity.
In fact, the last sentence of the Declaration states: "We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." Fully aware of the gravity of the moment, each made an individual decision to stand for liberty, democracy, and justice.
Two hundred and thirty one years later, the United States of America they founded is still a work in progress, still requiring sacrifices and honor to secure the inalienable rights we hold dear.
And today, in pursuing those lofty ambitions, we are privileged to be able to work with democratic friends such as The Bahamas to ensure that people the world over are secure in their inalienable right to live freely, to choose their leaders in free elections, to think freely, to worship without restraint, and to read, write, and meet without fear.
This year, in celebrating our United States’ independence, I am also very pleased to celebrate the Spirit of Rhode Island – the first state to declare its independence and one of the original thirteen colonies that joined in signing the Declaration of Independence.
The smallest of the thirteen colonies, Rhode Island furnished more than its share of men, ships, and money to the cause of independence. This small but mighty State has much in common with The Bahamas – its nickname is the Ocean State and no resident lives more than 45 minutes from the water’s edge. Providence is the capital of Rhode Island, just as New Providence is the capital of The Bahamas. Each is dependent on tourism, with about 15 million tourists coming to Rhode Island each year. It is also my home state and, like The Bahamas, near and dear to my heart.
Today I would like to recognize the strong and growing partnership between Rhode Island and The Bahamas. The Rhode Island National Guard has spearheaded a State Partnership Program with The Bahamas that has resulted in military, business, and educational cooperative links.
This week a group from the Rhode Island National Guard is working with NEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency to enhance disaster preparedness efforts. Twice already this year representatives of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and the Newport Chamber of Commerce have visited The Bahamas to explore business and investment opportunities. The University of Rhode Island and Roger Williams University are working on joint projects with the College of the Bahamas. Earlier this year, URI and the COB agreed to student and faculty exchange programs, and URI agreed to allow Bahamian students to attend the University of Rhode Island at in-state tuition rates.
In celebrating the Spirit of Rhode Island today, I would like to recognize the outstanding efforts the State of Rhode Island has made to become a true partner for the people of The Bahamas. I would also like to thank the Government of the Bahamas and the many other groups and individuals who have so graciously supported these growing ties.
On this day in particular, it is an honor to serve my country and to represent the government and people of the United States in The Bahamas, a country with which we share such close ties of friendship and kinship. We are each other’s closest neighbors, and we are Good Neighbors. So on this day, I would like to thank the government and people of The Bahamas for your continued support and your willingness to work with us in so many important ways to ensure that Bahamians, Americans, and people throughout the world can enjoy the unalienable rights to which those brave men committed themselves 231 years ago today.
I would now like to read the President’s Independence Day message ... I would now ask you please to lift your glasses and join me in a toast:
To the courageous Americans who, 231 years ago, risked everything in the cause of freedom, to the great State of Rhode Island, the first to declare its independence, to our beautiful and bountiful country, the United States of America, and to the spirit of friendship between the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the United States of America.