It was some 231 years ago today when the United States declared independence from the great British empire over a variety of taxes and regulations that the American people felt where unconscionable, especially in light of their lack of direct representation in the British empire.

The world during that time what such a different place then the world we currently live in. In 1776, the industrial revolution was far off in the future and fossil fuels and their extreme power and toxic had not plagued our society. Declaring independence and war against the British was a decision that would have bloody results, but the impact on our planet and the long term survival of our world was limited.

Forests where chopped down. Cannon balls and other primitive munitions would litter the landscape for generations to come. Whole towns where burned to the ground. Yet, for the most part the only people killed where the soldiers who chose to fight, and the actual brutality against the civilian population was quite limited.

Some tactics of the British and Americans where despicable, yet at the same time the was a morality applied to warfare that does not exist today – in part because technology of the time limited the destruction. Cities and towns destroyed after the British rampage through the country where relatively easily restored, and after the hardship of a winter, farm fields came productive with minimal impacts of the war.

Commercial interests didn't dominate the Revolutionary War. Instead, it was a war of belief and passion, even if the biggest benefactors of the war where the wealthy American elite. Yet, the elite of Revolutionary times did not gain nearly as disproportionately as the modern elite do from our current conflict. Every American ultimately gained by the successful defense of our colony, as we won our independence.

We will never be able to get back to the world of the revolutionary times. We will never regain the moral purity of the US constitution or colonial life. Even if fossil fuels run out or become prohibitively expensive, we have forever changed our world and changed to such a large degree, that we will never be able to get back to the principles that made Independence Day such a day to celebrate.