An independent moment

Chautauqua has always been a uniquely American experiment. Independence Day has been celebrated nearly 150 times since Chautauqua’s beginnings in 1874, and each of those celebrations was unique to Chautauquans living an American experience shaped by their times. Throughout the most pivotal periods in our nation’s history, Chautauqua has played a part. Monday’s Independence Day celebrations featured familiar traditions of families and fireworks, community and celebration, but also a feeling for many Chautauquans that this Fourth of July — like all those before it — is uniquely shaped by the struggles of our time. As Chautauqua Institution President Michael E. Hill said in his opening Three Taps of the Gavel address, these struggles “call this community of seekers and learners to take a breath, to pause to regain some perspective, but only for a moment, recognizing that our work is not to ponder for pondering’s sake but to recenter ourselves to make a difference in the world.”