First and foremost, thank a veteran or current member of the military if you see one. They follow in a proud tradition of people who fought and died to create the most free and prosperous nation in the history of the world. Without their continuing efforts, our freedom and prosperity would evaporate in a moment.
Here are the first few historical words of the Declaration of Independence itself:
Read the whole thing here.When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Now, stop and think a moment about these words, and exactly what it is we're celebrating. Here are a couple great explanations that are worth thinking about:
Remembering What The Declaration Of Independence Is Not
When we celebrate the Fourth of July, we are celebrating one of the most important political documents in the history of the world. The Declaration is a statement to the world -- the people of the world was the audience -- about the very nature of government and its relationship to men. Sometimes we appreciate what this document was, but perhaps we need even more to appreciate what it was not.Independence Forever
It was not a poll-driven summation of current opinion. The men who gathered in Philadelphia did respect each other's talents and knowledge, but the document they signed was not not driven by the latest Gallup or Zogby poll results. What was right and true was not dependent upon popular opinion.The signers did not even seek a vote of the people. No referendum was necessary for the Declaration of Independence and it might well have failed in some of the colonies. The "will of the people," so precious to demagogues, did not determine what was right and true. The people can fall for Hitler, adore Obama, and be enchanted by silly or wicked men. The purpose of government, as the Declaration clearly states, is to secure liberty and not to implement that dubious, inconstant sentiment "the will of the people."The men who signed the Declaration of Independence represented the absolute opposite of "interest group politics" so slavishly worshipped in political science departments. They pledged their lives, their wealth, their liberty, and their honor -- everything -- on a toss of the dice. Often, even if the revolution won, these men personally lost. The game was not about them, their economic interest, or their political ambition. They won if America became a new order of liberty in the world. Interest politics would have led them all to make peace with the Crown. Moral principles led them to what Churchill would later call "blood, toil, sweat, and tears."The brave men in Philadelphia were engaging in unconstitutional action. Britain had a constitution, albeit a largely unwritten one, and Jefferson knew that he was defying our equivalent of the Supreme Court. He and his colleagues defied the moral power of a system which no longer treasured liberty above advantage or caprice. Rulers making decisions which did not really affect them, living thousands of miles from their subjects, lacked the moral authority to wield law.Moral authority was the heart of the Declaration as well. It lacked a separation of church and state and instead there was a unity of God and government. All men were created equal by God. That is the foundational point of the Declaration from which all else flows like the spring of liberty. If all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, politics is clear and simple. If that is true, then -- of course! -- protecting these inalienable rights is the only reason that governments are instituted among men. These were truths which, in the magical pen of Jefferson, the brave authors and signers held to be "self-evident." There is a Creator. He made us. He made us, specifically, free in body and in conscience. We are not sheep or some sort of oddly self-domesticated animals. We are creatures in the image of a Creator, unique in reality, and given the power to choose.The men who wrote and signed the Declaration are all dead, long, long, dead -- they never expected otherwise. If we met their ghosts today, they would not ask about our technological marvels or our global economy or our medical breakthroughs or space travel. If we told them about our partisan debates or the new King in Washington, they might cringe like a father over an addled child.But when speaking of what they wrote in 1776 -- signing their own death warrants, in some respects -- they might ask us this: "We did not mean to confuse you. That is why the words we chose were so clear. You are free creatures of God. Government is your creature, your chattel, your tool -- nothing more. We studied history long before we wrote our brief statement of liberty. You own government or rather the spirit of free men owns government. You fret about ‘stuff.' Why? We are all dead now, as we knew we would be. But we chose to die free, following our consciences - that is the only real choice in life. What confused you?" The principle of liberty is easy. All it requires is courage and honor.
As always, no one puts it better than the king of conservative, Rush Limbaugh. Here are a couple excerpts from his show yesterday, the first serving as a warning of the direction we're going, the second in answer to a caller asking how to bring conservative principles back into government, and the third regarding how Obama's quest to 're-make' America is actually destroying its foundation:The 4th of July is no ordinary holiday. As we travel and spend time with our families this weekend, we must take a few moments to reflect on the meaning of our Declaration of Independence, and its ongoing significance in light of our nation’s current struggles.
The resolution to declare independence from Great Britain was actually passed by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, and John Adams believed that the 2nd would be the date on which Americans would celebrate their independence for years to come.
So, why do we commemorate July 4? We celebrate the 4th because it was on this day that our founders set forth a statement of ideas which justified the separation “to a candid world” and established the principles that would serve as the foundation for the new nation.
These principles are grounded in a higher law which is derived from both reason and revelation – “the laws of nature and nature’s God.” It begins with the principle that “all men are created equal,” meaning that they are equally “endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights” which are grounded in natural law, not bestowed on us by government. Among these rights is the right to liberty, and to self-government; therefore the Declaration also states that governments “derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
These principles contributed mightily to America’s growth from a modest, undeveloped country into the freest and most prosperous nation in the history of the world. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Declaration, Calvin Coolidge (who, incidentally, was born July 4, 1872), defended the principles of the Declaration from assault by progressives who challenged the wisdom of the framers:
“It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning cannot be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people.”
The signers of the Declaration closed by invoking the aid of Divine Providence, and devoting to the cause of liberty their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.” This was no idle statement. While many progressives claimed (and continue to allege) that the signers of the Declaration merely sought to protect their own property, the facts demonstrate that these great patriots gave great sacrifices for the sake of liberty. Many of the signers were captured by the British, imprisoned, displaced, or lost their sons during the Revolutionary War.
They understood the seriousness of the sacrifice they would be forced by subsequent events to make. The image of the gallows hung ominously over their resolution to declare independence. In the event that the conflict did not go well for the colonies, a portly Benjamin Harrison is alleged to have remarked to a slender Elbridge Gerry that “I shall have all the advantage over you. It will be all over in a minute for me, but you will be kicking in the air half an hour after I am gone.”
The need to reflect on our founding principles is striking in light of the widespread ignorance of our country’s history among the public today.
But there is hope. Although “most eighth-graders who took the National Assessment of Educational Progress Civics Test in 2006 couldn’t explain the purpose of the Declaration of Independence,” there is still a widespread desire among Americans for a stronger understanding of their history and principles.
The Heritage Foundation stands proudly alongside dozens of civic and academic organizations across America, which are devoted to rekindling among the general public an understanding of our founding principles and a willingness to defend them.
Finally, I leave you with some very good news. Rasmussen Reports put out some recent numbers on how Americans view our foundational concepts:
Good news, indeed! So...understand it, embrace it, and fight for it: Happy Independence Day!Americans are celebrating the nation's 233rd birthday, and the words of the Declaration of Independence will be heard at countless patriotic ceremonies across the land. The core ideals articulated by those words are still embraced by solid majorities of the American public.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 89% of American adults agree that "we are all endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Only seven percent (7%) disagree on that founding premise.
Seventy-four percent (74%) agree with the assertion that “all men are created equal” while just 23% disagree.
There's my two cents.
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