In Congress, July 4, 1776

July 3, 2013

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

By Tammy Derouin

“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.”   The Declaration Of Independence, paragraph 1.

As we celebrate 237 years of independence, it’s important that we know the reason why we celebrate.  It was important to the founders that the world knew why Colonial America was ending its ties with the British Empire.  “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of absolute Tyranny over these States.  To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”  The founders go on to list their grievances with the king.  One example, “…and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments.”  More examples of the king’s fundamental transformations are listed.  It’s well worth a couple minutes of your time to read this extraordinary document.

On July 4, 1776, fifty-six men signed a document stating why they, the Representatives of the United States of America, were declaring independence from British rule.  They listed numerous violations and abuses of power.  Signing such a document made them an immediate enemy of the state.  They would be considered traitors and hung if captured.  I imagine a room full of chatter and words of encouragement as the signatures are amassed.  I imagine a more solemn atmosphere upon the conclusion of this sacred moment.  Perhaps there was a collective moment of silence as they looked at each other knowing full well the implications of their actions.  Such life altering decisions are not made in haste.  There was no turning back.  They drew their line, enough was enough. The time had come to fight for freedom.

In this document, the founder’s state truths believed to be self-evident, including, “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.”

In order to secure these rights, the founders believed that “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”  They warn that governments should not be changed for “light and transient causes.”  They also acknowledged that man is conditioned to accept rather than change the situation, “…that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

The founders chose freedom so their posterity wouldn’t live in servitude.  What an extraordinary concept. For 237 years the citizens of the United States have been exceptional.  We, the American people, have lived free.  That’s what makes us exceptional.

The Declaration Of Independence was only the beginning.  It gave birth to a new nation.  A nation that held the belief that man should be free.  Man was not only capable of ruling himself but would thrive doing so in the process. They believed that government shouldn’t chain the people down but that the people should chain the government down.

The battle for independence would be a long and difficult struggle.  There would be much sacrifice required by the people.  Many would not see the victorious end, the proof that our flag would still be there.  Whether they died in battle or witnessed the birth of a new nation, their sacrifice provided freedom for many generations to come.

Several years later, The Constitution would become another sacred document in American History.  This document is the heart of our freedom.  Right now nine of the ten bills in the Bill of Rights are under attack.  Tyranny has taken hold of our nation.  The enemy is our government, a government put in place by the people.  Politicians conspire against the people.  Our freedoms, our liberties have become the target.  We are once again dealing with the all too common reality that governments believe they know best and therefore must chain the people into servitude.

The men who signed The Declaration Of Independence put everything on the line including their lives.  A revolution was necessary at that time.  A revolution isn’t necessary today.  The Constitution enables us to make corrections without shedding blood.  We have been an exceptional nation.  I hope I can say the same next year at this time. 

Without Life and Liberty, Happiness does not exist.

“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.”

The Declaration Of Independence