This week we celebrate the Fourth of July, the day that our founders declared their independence from Great Britain. This declaration action came after a long history of imposition by King George III. While it might seem as though this is ancient history, there are applicable lessons to remember today.
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“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” the document begins, “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.”
This was a fundamental structural change in the way that rights and governments were viewed and understood. No longer were rights held by the king, who then gave them to his subjects and took them from his subjects based on his will or his whim. Instead, it was declared that rights were endowed by God to individuals. These individuals then in turn loaned them to their elected officials. This also meant that the rights loaned to the government by the people could be taken back by the people if they were not properly used by the elected officials.
Our founders concluded the document with the pledge to each other and an invocation of God. “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 founders signed our Declaration of Independence with the knowledge that the declaration would be viewed as an act of treason by the king. They knew that if they were not successful in their fight for freedom that they were at risk of losing their lives.
They took this risk after great deliberation and with a firm understanding of the potential consequences. This was not a hasty decision, but rather a thoughtful and deliberate act. They were willing to risk their lives for freedom for themselves, their families and this newly formed country.
President Abraham Lincoln, when commemorating the Battle at Gettysburg that occurred 150 years ago, from July 1 to July 3, connected the sacrifice of those that died at Gettysburg to our Founding Fathers. While doing so, with only 278 words, he never used the words I or me, but focused on what actions could be taken by those left to honor those who had died.
“Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. … It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
Our Founding Fathers risked their lives to declare freedom, hundreds of thousands of Americans died during our Civil War to keep our nation together. They gave the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, for our freedom, as have our soldiers throughout our history.
This week, as we watch fireworks, and eat hot dogs, hamburgers and/or ribs, we should pause and reflect on those who have sacrificed for our freedom and liberty. We should resolve once more to do our part, to ensure “that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
It’s not just red, white and blue — but also red, white and you.
© JACKIE CUSHMAN
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