1776 - THE YEAR THAT PRECIPITATED THE DECLINE OF COLONIALISM ACROSS THE GLOBE

On July 4, 1776, 240 years ago, at a meeting of the second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, 56 "revolutionaries" signed on to a document declaring their independence from their colonial over-lord Great Britain. The signatories, which included Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin among others, announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with the kingdom of Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer under British rule. Instead they formed a new nation - the United States of America. By declaring themselves an independent nation, the American colonists were able to forge an official alliance with the government of France and obtain French assistance in the war against Great Britain. While this declaration appears archaic in today's world, it was truly unique and revolutionary for the time, as it preceded the French Revolution by 13 years. (We tend to celebrate this event as the beginning of the American Revolution. However, our revolution actually started on April 19, 1775 when the first shots of the revolutionary war were fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts.)

At the time when we declared our independence, colonialism and colonial empires were the norm. Defined as the establishment of a colony by a political power from another territory, and the subsequent maintenance, expansion and exploitation of that colony, countries established their sphere of influence, considered important to their political and economic prominence in the world. Although very early colonialism started with the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, modern colonialism started around the 16th century when countries like Spain and Portugal ventured across the oceans to find new land and new riches. At first the countries followed the dictates of mercantilism, an economic theory and practice that promoted governmental regulation of a nation's economy for the purpose of augmenting state power at the expense of rival national powers. Expeditions were sent out over great distances with the express objective of finding riches - often identified as gold and silver - elsewhere and claiming exclusive access for the political powers - not always states - financing the endeavor. Eventually this activity morphed into two overlapping forms of colonialism: "settle colonialism" - involving large-scale immigration - often motivated by religious, political or economic reasons, and "exploration colonialism" - involving fewer colonialists and focusing on access to resources for export. The French, Dutch and British created colonial empires during the 17th century, while Germany, France and Belgium became involved in the "scramble for Africa" in the late 19th century.

It would be easy to condemn these colonial movements, especially since they produced a set of unequal relationships between a colonial power and a colony, and often between the colonists and the indigenous population. However, for better or for worse, without the exploration generated during the "age of discovery" in the late 15th and 16th century, the world might look quite different today. The British empire expanded most extensively. Before World War Two British politicians could still maintain that "the sun never set on the British Empire," since its colonial empire touched all corners of the globe. The French, not to be outdone by Britain, worked diligently to compete for dominance, and by 1900 amassed the second largest colonial empire in the world. It became their moral mission to lift the world up to French standards by bringing Christianity and French culture. In 1884, the leading French exponent of colonialism, Jules Ferry, declared: "The higher races have a right over the lower races, they have a duty to civilize the inferior races."

And so it went. Although the United States initiated a very early independence movement, decolonization did not progress significantly until after the Second World War. Many indigenous populations began to realize that the colonial powers were not invincible. Besides, many colonial powers were severely weakened as a result of the war effort. India gained independence in 1947, and Indonesia, which had been ruled by the Dutch, claimed their freedom in 1949. In 1960, British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan, in a speech known as the "winds of change" admitted that decolonization was an established fact. In 1962 the United Nations set up a Special Committee on Decolonization to speed up the process.

If not for the scope of the colonial experience, most countries today might celebrate alternate national days, like "liberation day" in The Netherlands or "Bastille Day" in France. However, most, like us, celebrate independence from an occupying colonial power. While we were unique and revolutionary when we declared our independence 240 years ago, we have not been the only ones. Today 59 countries celebrate their independence from the British Empire. Interestingly, the U.K. Is one of very few countries which does not feature such a celebration. However, after the "Brexit" vote on June 23rd, Nigel Farage, leader of the United Kingdom Independent Party, proclaimed that Great Britain may now finally have its own independence celebration. Time will tell what that ultimately may mean.

Have a fabulous, safe and memorable Independence Day.