Why we honor the Spirit of 1776
The Constitution of the United States serves as our republican blueprint of governance, but The American Declaration of Independence is our nation's founding document. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument.
Employing stirring and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people -- the exalted ideal of individual liberty. The document summarized this philosophy as "self-evident truths," specifically citing grievances and clearly justifying before the world the breaking of ties between the unified colonies and Great Britain.
Our passionate quest as expressed in the Declaration, our pervading American spirit for personal freedom, was clearly conveyed when Thomas Paine so eloquently penned in his The Rights of Man, "Freedom had been hunted round the globe; reason was considered as rebellion; and the slavery of fear had made men afraid to think. But such is the irresistible nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants, is the liberty of appearing."
Desperation, privation, sacrifice
Educated before our government schools altered American History curricula to conform with modern multi-cultural revisionism, many older Americans still know the names of and stories about our nation's Founding Fathers, brave souls who risked all by signing a document which, at the time, was considered treasonous and thus immediately punishable by death. But few Americans know the ultimate fates suffered by many of the signers and their families.
"It is difficult to value something when it becomes commonplace, when it is familiar and comfortable."
Of the 56 Founding Fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during our brutal, seven-year war for independence. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with cruel treatment. Several lost wives, sons, daughters, or entire families. One lost all of his children -- 13 children.
Two wives were brutally tortured and died shortly after their release from British captivity. All signers were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve had their homes completely burned to the ground. Seventeen lost everything they owned -- literally -- except for the clothes they wore. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor as well as devotion to the cause of liberty remained intact, just as the nation they sacrificed so much to create is still intact.
And just as the signers bore hardships, so did their fellow colonists. Untold families were divided between Loyalists and Patriots and thus torn apart from one another. No better example exists than that of Benjamin Franklin. His own Tory son would never again see or speak to his father after the commencement of war.
Entire towns were put to the torch or bombarded, as in the case of Falmouth, Maine (present day Portland). Houses and businesses were burned, and crops and livestock destroyed. Conservative estimates place the number of colonial military and civilian dead and wounded at 50,000. This is a mind-boggling figure when you consider that the entire population of the 13 colonies only numbered approximately 2.5 million in 1776.
Our fragile legacy
It is difficult to value something when it becomes commonplace, when it is familiar and comfortable. This is a humanistic, natural tendency and such is the case when it comes to personal liberty. An apt analogy would be if one child was given a toy only to leave it out in the rain to rust, never understanding the toy's worth, while another child required to earn the same toy was found to take care of it, valuing its worth. This axiom applies to our American heritage and the continued welfare of our nation.
We must not lose sight of the fact that it is easy to overlook our freedoms being slowly eroded away when we have paid no real price, made no real sacrifice to secure them. These gifts we occasionally profess to hold so dear but in reality rarely ever think about have been bequeathed to us from those of generations past who did have to serve and selflessly suffered on our behalf.
Bit by bit, whether through taxation, societal manipulation, or autocratic central programming, we modern Americans are losing our liberties, one snip at a time. Our nation needs citizens with an adequate understanding of the principles, precedents, and history that moved the Framers and our Founding Fathers to risk freedom, property, and ultimately life, so that their dream of national liberty would blossom.
Who will teach our youth of these things? Certainly not our government schools.
Thanks to the courage and the blood of those who came before, Americans enjoy liberties once only dreamed of throughout the world. But enjoying and safeguarding are two entirely different endeavors.
This Independence Day, as we celebrate our 232nd birthday, remember to tell your children the real reason for the fireworks -- and to question the motives of anyone who calls for "change" in the American way of living.
Following such a course will demand a steep price -- the exchange of personal liberty for subservience.