By Stephanie Miceli - July 5, 2010
Times may
change but Americans' national pride holds steady. When asked by a Gallup poll
in 1987 how proud they are to be Americans, 87 percent said they were extremely
or very proud. In 2009, 86 percent in an identical Pew survey question gave
that same response. The barely-changed results were evidenced by the booming
Esplanade festivities that featured15,000 fireworks and attracted more than a half-million
spectators. They came from near and afar to celebrate July Fourth in what one
called the "true birthplace" of the American Revolution.
They cherished the Founders'
fight for freedom with a fight for the best view of the Charles River and the Boston
Pops orchestra. Country crooner Toby Keith's performance at the Hatch Memorial
Shell invited cheers from a crowd who sang along to classic Americana hits
while waving US flags, saluting military personnel, and in some cases, wiping
back tears.
The ceremony also included a
tribute to the Kennedy brothers, noting the August 2009 death of
Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy.
Earlier that day, on the deck of
the USS Constitution, 27 of the country's newest
citizens displayed their American pride aboard the world's oldest commissioned warship. The 17 women
and 10 men repeated an oath of allegiance to the United States, which included
renouncing allegiance to all foreign leaders and sovereignties.
