Happy 4th of July!
In 1776, the Declaration of Independence may have been signed on July 4, or July 2, or sometime in August. What is certain is that Thomas Jefferson, the principal author, had quite a way with words. The language is fiery and unambiguous and, with remarkably few exceptions, timeless.
The Declaration was an audacious and unprecedented way for a nation to announce its birth. Combined with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, it sets the foundation for a nation steeped in, and dedicated to, individual freedom.
All three documents are revolutionary. All are worth regular reading. I’m not sure we could rally behind anything as sweeping as these in this fragmented day and age.
When I look at the expansive vision described in these documents, I wonder what those founding fathers would make of, say, homeowners’ associations. Who among us would have the chutzpah to tell Mr. Jefferson that the off-white color he chose for the trim at Monticello is not one of the approved neighborhood shades? Who’s going to lecture Ben Franklin about the unauthorized lightning rod? Doesn’t it seem silly, these perceived minuscule offenses we wrap our emotions around today?
On the other hand, it would have been a heckuva lot easier for Paul Revere to simply tweet that the British were coming by way of the Charles River in 1775. But, absent Twitter, he had to embark on his famous ride, although he did instruct the sexton Robert Newman to hang two lanterns (“one if by land, two if by sea.”) – an early signal that was even more efficient than 140 characters.
On this day, I am so thankful we remind ourselves that, above all, the basis for our nation is freedom.We are the first nation to hold individual enterprise, as opposed to birthright, in such high esteem. We are, as a nation, much more than the sum of our parts, much more than the exaggerated perception of our small differences. We were founded on, and continue to be inspired by, freedom. So,
Happy Independence Day!
<excerpt>
“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.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.