Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion. – Thomas Jefferson, regarding the Declaration of Independence
July 4th, 1776, the day the American colonies officially separated from the British Crown.
On July 2nd, 1776, the Second Continental Congress approved Richard Henry Lee’s resolution for independence and a Committee of Five was appointed to compose the official statement. The document produced, known as The Declaration of Independence, was ratified two days later, on July 4th, Thomas Jefferson being the primary author.
The Declaration’s preamble opened with these words:
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.
The concepts contained in that single sentence had never before appeared in that form, nor had they ever been espoused as a foundation of a government. For the first time in human history the individual was officially recognized as sovereign!
The naysayers bleat on about the offensiveness of “white, male, slave owners” having the nerve to speak about liberty. Such criticisms fail to consider history and the times the Founders lived in. Their works and advancements nullified in the minds of those wishing to destroy the principles of individual liberty and replace them with the latest cloaked form of Marxism.
Of course, had Thomas Jefferson invented a cure for cancer it’s doubtful that those same Marxists, if diagnosed with lymphoma, would decline the treatment!
The critics are summed up best as statist tyrants pandering for votes. They desire dependence, not independence. Without a dependent electorate, without victims, their lives serve no purpose. And with, or without power, they most certainly live a miserable existence.
For the rest of us, we understand the necessity of liberty. How that condition allows for intellectual, philosophical, scientific, industrial, medical, artistic, and personal growth. Without liberty, humans stagnate and die.
Consider the 4tha celebration of life – The day the foundation was laid for the rise of the individual!
And while you’re enjoying it with friends and family, take a moment to reflect on how much all of us, regardless of race, owe to the vision and actions of those men who laid their lives at the foot of liberty in 1776.