On July 4th, 1776, a small band of men risked everything to take a principled stand against their economic and political master, England, then the mightiest power in the world. Against an uncertain outcome, they threw off the yoke of King George III and said, we mutually pledge our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor - in support of a simple but radical idea:
Today, we celebrate their rebellion and the nation that resulted with fireworks, hot dogs and beer. We should also pause to ask ourselves if we remain true to that idea and if we would be willing to risk the same sacrifice in order that our government should remain, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, of the People, by the People and for the People.
The men who attached their names to the Declaration of Independence were:
Thanks, guys, we owe you.
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. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to 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.
Today, we celebrate their rebellion and the nation that resulted with fireworks, hot dogs and beer. We should also pause to ask ourselves if we remain true to that idea and if we would be willing to risk the same sacrifice in order that our government should remain, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, of the People, by the People and for the People.
The men who attached their names to the Declaration of Independence were:
Samuel Adams, John Adams, Josiah Bartlett, Carter Braxton, Charles Carroll, Samuel Chase, Abraham Clark, George Clymer, William Ellery, William Floyd, Benjamin Franklin, Elbridge Gerry, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, John Hancock, Benjamin Harrison, John Hart, Joseph Hewes, Thomas Heyward, Jr., William Hooper, Stephen Hopkins, Francis Hopkinson, Samuel Huntington, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Lee, Francis Lee, Francis Lewis, Philip Livingston, Thomas Lynch, Jr., Thomas McKean, Arthur Middleton, Lewis Morris, Robert Morris, John Morton, Thomas Nelson, Jr., William Paca, Robert Treat Paine, John Penn, George Read, Caesar Rodney, George Ross, Benjamin Rush, Edward Rutledge, Roger Sherman, James Smith, Richard Stockton, Thomas Stone, George Taylor, Matthew Thornton, George Walton, William Whipple, William Williams, James Wilson, John Witherspoon, Oliver Wolcott, George Wythe.
Thanks, guys, we owe you.
