Celebrate the Fourth of July!
By: Kristen A. Campbell
A week from today is the 4th of July.
Traditionally, the Fourth of July is a day for fireworks and cookouts. But it is also a good time to reflect on the deeper meaning of Independence Day and the men and women who worked through strife, fear and the biggest bully of their time to prevail in establishing the United States of America. The people living in those colonies had had enough of British domination and exploitation. They wanted to make their own decisions, govern themselves and to have liberty from oppressive restrictions imposed by the King on their way of life.
July 4, 1776 was the day that we, America, formally proclaimed to the entire world that we would no longer consider ourselves subjects of the British Empire. The text of our Declaration of Independence was finalized that very day. The signers of that document knew that this declaration of independence from the dictatorial rule of Great Britain was likely their death sentence. They knew their scattered “states” of ragtag farmers turned soldiers didn’t have the numbers or arms to face the British, much less defeat them militarily. They knew that never before had a colony successfully broken away from its mother country. Let alone when a mother county that was the most powerful nation on Earth with many colonies all over the world an extremely disciplined army. Yet they put their signatures, and their lives, their families, their destiny, on that document.
Our Declaration of Independence stands today as one of the most profound declarations ever written. Its words have served as inspiration for people everywhere. Colonial revolutionaries against imperial regimes throughout the world have looked to the Declaration to justify their cause. For Americans the very thesis statement of Declaration of Independence infused into our culture, ideals and highest aspirations- liberty, equality, and individual rights, including the right of every person to pursue happiness:
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.
This line in our Declaration of Independence is also the foundation of the law of our country. It holds the basis for our Separation of Powers and all three branches of government and is also the foundation of the civil rights. Every American, regardless of political persuasion, should celebrate this holiday (safely and with designated drivers and responsible fireworks handling)!
Please stop by our office any time during the week of the Fourth of July to pick up a complimentary copy of the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution. Happy Fourth of July!