Celebrating Independence

We celebrate Independence Day on Sunday, yet few people could recite more than five words from the document that set American freedom into motion. With the advent of Concord and Lexington, the influence of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, and Great Britain’s rejection of the Second Continental Congress’ Olive Branch Petition, Thomas Jefferson, with editing help from John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, produced a document that will go down in history as one of the greatest works of mankind- the Declaration of Independence.

In the Declaration, Jefferson writes: “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.”

There are those who would point out that not all men were treated equally in the newly formed nation. Slaves, women and men who did not own land were generally left out of the political process. When the first elections were held under the U.S. Constitution, only about 10% of the adult population was eligible to vote.

It’s easy to criticize the Founders and charge hypocrisy, but such criticism simply illustrates the ignorance that comes from modern present mindedness. It was unheard of in the late 1700s to have 10% of the adults eligible to vote. Where elections did occur, it was generally left to less than 1% of the landed aristocracy and nobility.

Our system left open the opportunity to expand the voting franchise and liberty as the nation was willing to progress. Today, look at China, the Sudan, Cuba, and over a hundred other nations where voting is either not allowed or elections are fixed to ensure dictatorship reigns. We should also look at over one hundred other nations that adopted the American example of independence.

Jefferson wrote that all men were created equal, but he did not write that all men were equal. It was a paradox that even he seemed uncomfortable with. He was a slave owner, but his personal writings indicate that he was uneasy with the institution. Jefferson once wrote that slavery was “like holding a wolf by the ears. You don’t like it, yet you dare not let it go.” What his conscience was trying to tell him, the nation eventually advanced as liberty was offered to slaves.

The liberty our nation instituted and expanded was a catalyst for producing great men and women from a variety of backgrounds. George Washington, John Paul Jones, Eli Whitney, Harriet Tubman, Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Booker T. Washington, the Wright brothers, Helen Keller, General Douglas MacArthur, James “Jimmy” Stewart, Billy Graham, Ronald Reagan, Sandra Day O’Connor, Lieutenant Scott O’Grady and so many others. What other nation in the world can boast of such a human legacy?

With a life of independence and the freedoms afforded by liberty, Americans are in the best position to discover the happiness God endowed in each of us. We have now come to a point in our history where all Americans have access to the ideals of the Declaration. The issue is what will we choose to do with independence?

God gave Adam and Eve independence call free will and they chose to abuse it and die rather than to live in paradise for an eternity. The self-indulgent free Roman citizens, enjoying liberties beyond imagination for their time, lost their independence to barbarian invaders as they wallowed in pagan blindness. The free citizens of France misused their independence by resorting to violent anarchy, and then could only be saved and protected by the dictator Napoleon. Suffering economic distress, the Germans gave up freedom for Adolph Hitler.

You see, independence is not easy to manage. We tend to abuse it and make selfish choices, and the result of these choices can lead to a loss of freedom and destruction of paradise. The best guarantee we have for the survival of American independence is for each individual to use freedom to serve God, family, country and community. The great Americans mentions earlier, although not perfect, epitomized the responsible use of liberty in their personal lives.

Let us become better acquainted with the content and principles of the Declaration of Independence. Let us celebrate independence and enjoy freedom. But more importantly, let us pursue life, liberty and happiness---for others. God Bless America and Happy Independence Day!