Consul General Speeches

231st Independence Day Celebration, Consulate General of the United States, Amsterdam, July 5, 2007

Good Afternoon.

His Excellency Ambassador Roland Arnall and Mrs. Arnall, Distinguished Guests, Fellow Citizens of the United States, Ladies and Gentlemen:

My husband Robert Satrom and I would like to welcome you to the Consulate General as we observe the 231^st anniversary of the independence of the United States of America.

In celebration of Independence Day, Americans have gathered this week to commemorate not only our nation’s birthday but the core ideals that bind us together.  Enshrined in our Declaration of Independence are the self-evident truths that our nation aspires to:  that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights – among them, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  And that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Liberty and democracy – these are the foundations of our national experience and the causes we have defended in the past, and continue to defend today.
Walt Whitman, that uniquely American poet who also had Dutch ancestors, eloquently described the country wrought by the Declaration of Independence in his 1855 celebration of American democracy.  He wrote,
 
            “With Victory on thy left, and at thy right hand Law;
            Thou Union holding all, fusing, absorbing, tolerating all,
            Thee, ever thee, I sing.

And this as well:

            Fresh come, to a new world indeed, yet long prepared,
            I see the genius of the modern, child of the real and ideal,
            Clearing the ground for broad humanity, the true America, heir of
                the past so grand,
            To build a grander future.”

We are honored to be able to share our national celebration with you during this, the two hundred and twenty-fifth year of diplomatic relations between the United States and The Netherlands.

John Adams, the first American Ambassador to The Netherlands and the second President of the United States, was one of the people to sign the Declaration of Independence.  He had something to say about that day, writing to his wife, "I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival... it ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other..."

We may not have such a wide array of activities today – certainly no cannon on the Museumplein – but on behalf of my American colleagues at the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam, we welcome you.  We are honored and grateful to have the opportunity to represent the United States here in The Netherlands.  And on behalf of my colleagues who reside in The Netherlands, we are deeply appreciative of the continued support we receive from so many of you for our activities here.

Please allow me to extend a special thank you to our terrific sponsors.  Without them, this day would quite literally not have been possible.  You will have seen their names displayed at this event, and I hope you are enjoying their unique contributions.

Thank you for attending and making this a very special Independence Day celebration.