Prager University's largest ever Fourth of July Declaration ceremony was held in Afghanistan this year, on an American military base in Kandahar. Nathan Brooks, a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, helped organize a Declaration ceremony on July 4th, 2013 with close to 100 soldiers.

"It happened!" Brooks, a helicopter pilot, wrote to Prager University. "I think this might be the first 4th of July Declaration in Afghanistan."


He sent in photos showing soldiers signing the Declaration of Independence, and saying (in unison) a prayer for America.

"My favorite photo is of a soldier singing the national anthem, and in the background there is a soldier standing on a ladder working on a rotor blade of the helicopter," Brooks wrote.

"You can see him standing at the position of attention on the ladder and saluting the flag, protocol for whenever soldiers can hear the national anthem and a flag is present."

The Fourth of July Declaration ceremony, an original Independence Day project created by Prager Univeristy in 2011, has quickly spread to hundreds of families across America. Next year, Prager University plans to expand its impact in the military-for soldiers serving abroad and for those based at home.


Inspired by the impact that it had on Brooks' fellow soldiers, he thinks that Prager University, working with American military officials, will be able to help make July 4th an even more meaningful day for those risking their lives to serve the United States.

PRAGER UNIVERSITY PRESENTS
THE

4

TH OF JULY DECLARATION

Welcome to our Fourth of July Declaration Ceremony. This short ceremony is designed to help us remember what the Fourth of July is really about, and to remind ourselves how fortunate we all are to be Americans.

For many of us, the Fourth of July is a day for barbecues, baseball, shopping, and fireworks. There is nothing wrong with any of this. But in 1776, our founders didn't sign the Declaration of Independence (and then go to war) only so that later generations would spend July 4th at the department store. They knew Americans needed to be educated and informed in order for our hard-won liberty to survive. As Thomas Jefferson put it: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

As Americans, we need to reconnect to our heritage, channel the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, and rediscover the meaning behind our country's creation. And we need to do it every year. That's point of observing the Fourth of July: To help us remember why this country was founded, and to help us transmit that collective memory to the next generation.

How can we do this? Through ritual.

We Americans need a ritual to remind ourselves of our national origins and our national purpose. That is why Prager University has created the Fourth of July Declaration Ceremony, which draws its inspiration from one of the most enduring rituals in the world: the Jewish Passover Seder. ("Seder" means "order" in Hebrew.)

For thousands of years, the Passover Seder has helped Jews around the world to remember that they are descendants of an enslaved people who were liberated by the mighty hand of God. The Founders of the United States (including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and others) were all well-versed in the Bible and knew the story of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. They viewed their break from England as a new exodus; so much so that Franklin and Jefferson wanted the seal of the newly-formed United States to depict the Israelites escaping across the Red Sea.

Even though that design was not chosen, the original historical inspiration still remains. Like the Passover seder, the Fourth of July Declaration Ceremony can be a powerful ritual that helps us transmit our love for this country to our children and grandchildren.

In keeping with our philosophy at Prager University that profound concepts can be taught in five minutes or less, we have kept the Declaration Ceremony brief. In our experience, adults find it meaningful and children find it fascinating.

If you follow our simple guide, the Fourth of July will be more than just another barbecue or fireworks display. It will become the kind of day it was meant to be: a celebration of the birth of our exceptional country, and a way of showing gratitude for the gift of liberty that has been bestowed upon us all.

You can always add more to your 4th of July Declaration (and we have lots of suggestions as to how) but we've given you the basics here.

Doing a little will mean a lot --to you, to your family and friends, and to the nation. Happy Fourth of July!

Minimum donation $35 per kit

More About What's in the 4th of July Declaration Kit

Order the 4th of July Kit

Order the 4TH OF JULY DECLARATION KIT

Name: Email: Phone Number: Street Address: City: State: ALASKA ALABAMA ARKANSAS ARIZONA CALIFORNIA COLORADO CONNECTICUT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DELAWARE FLORIDA GEORGIA HAWAII IOWA IDAHO ILLINOIS INDIANA KANSAS KENTUCKY LOUISIANA MASSACHUSETTS MARYLAND MAINE MICHIGAN MINNESOTA MISSOURI MISSISSIPPI MONTANA NORTH CAROLINA NORTH DAKOTA NEBRASKA NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW JERSEY NEW MEXICO NEVADA NEW YORK OHIO OKLAHOMA OREGON PENNSYLVANIA PUERTO RICO RHODE ISLAND SOUTH CAROLINA SOUTH DAKOTA TENNESSEE TEXAS UTAH VIRGINIA VERMONT WASHINGTON WISCONSIN WEST VIRGINIA WYOMING Other-Not Shown Zip Code: Notes: Donation Amount: $ (Minimum $35)

What's in the kit? (We recommend one kit per 10 guests) A Small Replica of a Liberty Bell 10 Milk Chocolate Replicas of an American Quarter An American Flag A Replica of The Declaration of Independence Without Signatures The Ceremony for the Leader For the complete list of items required for the ceremony you will still need to acquire: Iced Tea Salty pretzels and salt Strawberries and blueberries and whipped cream (Be creative! you may also use cake, cupcakes or any other white-red and blue sweet treats) Extra printed ceremonies More About What's in the 4th of July Declaration Kit