Ambassador Taylor's Independence Day Address
Dobroho Dnya!
I'm very pleased to be with you on the Fourth of July. In the United States, we celebrate our independence day on the Fourth of July every year. And this year, it is 232 years of independence from Great Britain that we celebrate.
Next month, Ukraine will celebrate 17 years of its independence from the Soviet Union. This is another cause for great celebration. Fortunately, in Ukraine, you didn't have to fight a war for your independence. Your independence came and you became a new, young democracy. And there are difficulties that all young democracies have and Ukraine certainly has its share.
In the United States, 17 years after our independence, that would have gotten us to about the second administration of President George Washington. And during the second administration of President Washington- 17 years after our independence, a new, young democracy- we had difficulties. President Washington's cabinet did not work together well. Within his own coalition, if you will, there were battles. There were conflicts. There were political rivalries. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, two of our founders, were in George Washington's cabinet and they were rivals. They thought that the other was going to run for president at sometime and that made it difficult for them to work together.
In the United States' case, we were able to work through it. I mentioned we put together a new constitution that worked better than the first constitution. The institutions developed, the Supreme Court developed, then we got respect for the Congress, the Supreme Court and the Executive in their balance of powers. We were able to develop into a more mature democracy. I'm very sure that this will happen in Ukraine as well. This is a time for Ukraine to develop its institutions as a young democracy, forging its way in an important part of the world. So, this day, on the Fourth of July, as we celebrate our independence, we look forward to celebrating continued independence days of Ukraine over the next years.
Thank you very much.