The signing of the Declaration of Independence was the
ultimate act of courage. It set in motion an ideal that many have died to
protect throughout time.
“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…”
These words are so eloquent and describe a sentiment that
the people had had enough of the imposition of government rules and regulations
on their lives. Before this declaration it was common to believe in class
systems where a person’s birth right was more important than their
accomplishments, Kings were bowed to, and the people accepted their lot in life
as set out by a ruling class. Moving up in society was almost impossible and
individual rights were window dressing rather than the law of the land. The
Declaration of Independence and the willingness to sacrifice everything for
freedom changed the world. It is why we celebrate July 4th with
celebrations across the country.
The final sentence of the document shows the willingness to
stand by their words:
“And for the support
of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine
Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our
sacred Honor.”
Today we often take our freedoms for granted. There were 56
signatures on the Declaration of Independence. A few of the names you would
recognize like Jefferson, Samuel and John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Hancock,
but most you would not. It is a shame we don’t spend more time in school
getting to know every one of these brave men in more detail. The world should
be thankful these men had the courage they did to stand up against tyranny.
None of these men were perfect. But they understood that the
individual not a collective body is the greatest prospect for success. We talk a
lot these days about “community” but in the context of government community is
different and often stifles individual freedom. We also talk a lot about “fairness”
but fairness is about opportunity not outcome. Individuals are given a fair
opportunity because of our God given rights, but outcomes can never be made to
be “fair.”
These men knew that and simply declared we would be the arbiters
of our own destiny. No government was capable or endowed with the power to
define our life. Today we celebrate being given the opportunity to be free from
government rule. Government is formed with the consent of the governed and we
have the power to change what we don’t like if we have the will. Happy Birthday
America!
