Jim Bratten
A few dozen courageous men gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1776 to sign the Declaration of Independence, a bold, unprecedented statement for individual liberty. They placed their lives, honor, and all their property on the line. In all, 56 men signed the document, the greatest treatise ever written declaring that our Creator had given men rights, and that a government derives its power “from the consent of the governed.”
Penned by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, the Declaration is essentially the mission statement of American exceptionalism. It defines our nation, its founding concepts, and is unique in all human history. It establishes a nation conceived in liberty, recognizing emphatically that rights of Americans are God-given, therefore unalienable – unable to be taken by the power of government.
Delegate John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776: “(Independence Day) will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America… It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty…”
Our Founders recognized that only virtuous, religious, knowledgeable people could maintain their liberty. Thomas Jefferson put it this way: “If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed.” That is, armed with knowledge.
Americans today, however, do not read the Declaration of Independence, know its purpose or study it. Students are not taught the reason for this document’s existence, how it came into being, or its import. They don’t learn that it defines and proclaims who we are as Americans and why we are unique among all people – exceptional.
Our Independence Day is our “Day of Deliverance” from tyranny, as John Adams described it, even though the secular progressives of today deny it or discount it.
Last Thursday, July Fourth, I hope you read the Declaration of Independence, so you and your children understand its importance to our existence as a free people.
President Trump knows, as he exhibited on July Fourth, why it matters.
Hoosier Patriots, Inc. is an educational and organizational non-profit for restoration, preservation and defense of the Constitution. We provide conservative commentary on public policy and government action across a variety of issues concerning the well-being of the republic. For more information go to www.vc-tpp.org or subscribe to the newsletter at hpnw.jimb@gmail.com.
