Happy 250th Anniversary!!
This weekend, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. And it goes without saying that we are going to celebrate big. But before we do I have a question; how many people understand what the 4th of July represents? It commemorates the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. If you are reading this and have never taken the time to read the Declaration of Independence, stop right now and read it. I will link a copy of it at the bottom. Every U.S. citizen should read it then learn about its significance. While most people have heard of the document and some have read it, it is seen as nothing more than a historical plaything taught to school children and not as something that deeply impacts your day-to-day life. In a few short sentences, Thomas Jefferson wrote something that radically changed human civilization. Recently, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas gave an address at the University of Texas about this very topic which I will also link below. He beautifully articulated the importance of the document both historically and contemporarily. He explains the meaning of the following words:
“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,”
It is very difficult for our modern minds to understand how radical this paragraph is. This seemingly simple statement explains several things and is based on one basic premise; that we are all created equal because we are created in the image and likeness of God, and that it is God who gives us our rights not the government. Essentially, we are born with them, and no man instituted government can take them away. So, what is the purpose of government according to the Declaration? To put it simply, it is instituted among men to protect our life, liberty, and property. Outside of that, it is to leave you alone to govern yourself. Another key premise of the Declaration is that the average person is capable of governing themselves. It is not the government's responsibility to take care of you or solve all your problems. The Declaration also addresses consent, governments are not just granted power, their power comes from us, the citizens. Essentially, they work for us.
Now, I know this is a far cry from what most of you are taught and believe. And, God bless him, Justice Thomas also addresses the threat of the Progressive movement of the last 19th and early 20th century that seeks to replace these ideas with the idea that our rights are actually gifted to us by government. By the way, these ideas are completely incompatible with our founding.
The issues we face currently are directly related to the fact that we have forgotten the idea of limited government established by our founders. If we want to conserve our country, our government needs to be reduced back to the size it was originally intended to be, and we must make it function within the enumerated power given to it by the Constitution. The vast majority of things our government does today is actually not a power granted to them by the Constitution. The growth of the federal government actually occurred as a result of several events during the 20th century. Citizens gripped with fear over the depression caused them to allow government to grow in a capacity that it was never intended to do. Additionally, during the 1960s under the Great Society, the idea of fairness, or perfecting society, allowed the government to invade parts of private life that would have been off limits to our founders. And before you get upset about the overreach of government, I return to my first question, do you understand our founding and fully understand our founding documents? If the answer is no, then once again stop reading and go read the Declaration. Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Most students of history never learn any of this. They are taught that the Declaration of Independence and Constitution should be thrown out and are fatally flawed.
So, on this 250th anniversary what can we do? For starters we need to begin to practice gratitude. Gratitude can be defined as a transformative emotion and moral virtue characterized by the recognition, appreciation, and expression of the value for something meaningful. We are living in the freest, wealthiest, and most successful countries in all human history. Visitors from other countries are in awe of American excellence and excess. Most Europeans would love to stay in the U.S. in the summer months because most of those countries have no air conditioning. And yet, most students in America are taught to believe that they are oppressed. How historically ignorant! They are taught, with the help of media, social media, and many in academia that our country is irredeemable. Why do you think so many people want to come here? Because it’s awesome. But here’s the truth, you are beyond lucky. If you have the privilege to live in this country, no matter what your gender, skin color, or socioeconomic status is, you should begin every day with gratitude for simply being born here.
So enjoy your 4th. Eat a hot dog and light fireworks. But, when you wake up on the morning of July 4th, take a few minutes to focus on what you are grateful for about this country.
P.S.
If you listen to Thomas’s address, take some time to listen to the Q and A at the end. He challenges the listener to take ownership of our country. It is ours. So, what are we currently doing about it? If you feel uninformed about something, what books are you reading to increase your understanding? If you don’t like the current state of our schools, why aren’t you running for school boards? Or, as a parent, are you willing to sacrifice and homeschool? If you are a parent, why have you relinquished your authority to educate your child to strangers in a public institution? We all have a role to play both big and small. And I know we live in a world that glorifies the big platforms while overlooking the small daily choices to love your family, neighbor, and community around you. The point is, what are you doing to make positive changes?
Declaration of Independence
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Clarence Thomas address at the University of Texas