Independence Day in October

Grilled hamburgers, ice cold beverages, fireworks, live music and the beach; these are all great things that many people, including myself, associate with America’s Independence Day holiday.

Who truly doesn’t love a hot-off-the-grill cheeseburger or over-done hot dog in a fresh bun? They’re even better when you add an iced-down diet coke, some rock and roll music and the sounds off kids laughing as they dance to avoid snap-n-pops thrown deliberately at their feet. Good times, good friends, good music and good eating. The 4^th of July has all the right makings to rest at or near the top of my list of American holidays. It certainly is at the top of my short list of favorites, but the reasons are less obvious than one might think. To find those reasons I had to look back over 230 years.

In 1776 a group of men met in Philadelphia to draft the Declaration of Independence and thus was born a new, free, and independent nation; The United States of America. A little more than a decade later–after rockets glared red and bombs bursting in air–some of those same men met with others to draft a plan for governing our new nation. In 1789 the Constitution was ratified and established the new government. The Constitution and The Declaration of Independence are America’s founding documents.

When reading these documents it becomes apparent that the very foundation of our political system is moral reason. These moral truths — grounded in reason – are accessible to all and we indeed 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.

 Here’s a hint; “the governed” is you and me. The very founding documents of our nation point out in no uncertain terms that whatever power the government has, it comes from us. It is not the other way around. We may pursue happiness as we see fit so long as it doesn’t encroach on the equal rights of others to do the same and the government exists to protect those rights and defend them if necessary. Of course the founding documents established many other important principles, a lot of which have to do with limiting government’s powers, but for me the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which come from the creator, not from government, are paramount. The undeniable wisdom and foresight of our founding fathers and the sacrifices of those that gave their lives to build and to protect this nation; that’s what makes Independence Day something to celebrate. That’s what keeps it at the top of my very short list of favorites.

I encourage you to read the founding documents for yourself from time to time. If you don’t understand them at first keep reading them until you do. When that light finally comes on and you comprehend, and every time thereafter, allow those chills to remind you of just why it is that you are able to do what you do every day and why The United States of America is one of the greatest countries on Earth.

Happy 4^th!