Read the Declaration – why people were fed up
Some 241 years ago America rose from colonial oppression with a declaration of what was no longer acceptable. While the Declaration of Independence was the ultimate break-up letter with His Majesty King George III, it essentially was an announcement of war, too, against conditions that had been protested and ignored.
If you haven’t read the Declaration of Independence lately, I would encourage you to so so. There are many online sources available or venture out and visit your public library – maybe even dust off those old encyclopedias at grandma’s house. What you will find beyond those beautiful opening paragraphs is a list of grievances and provocations inflicted on the Colonies by King George III. The crown was well aware that some colonists had reached their tipping point, but the mighty world power failed to recognize the power of a like-minded group of people who were fed up.
Look at why they were fed up and compare that aged list to some of the reasons why people are fed up today. History offers many lessons.
Most are familiar with our unalienable rights: “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 of 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.”
“Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” has become a phrase that means more today than it did when the ink was wet. Back in the day, when the Declaration was written and signed by 56, the words “all men are created equal” meant white, property-owning, people with male anatomies. Not the poor, not women, not black folks not slaves, not the native people — certainly not all of us.
But we have evolved as a people, and while some Americans, historically, have attempted to keep the meaning of that phrase and its application narrowed, it is there in that 241-year-old document speaking for us all and silencing those who would limit its guarantees – even today.
By the time the Declaration was signed, there already had been battles fought and blood shed by the colonists. As early as April 1775, the war began. But on the Fourth, our fate was signed and sealed. The signers of the declaration ended the document this way: “we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” In other words, they were all in.
As we celebrate our Independence and honor those who made it possible, please remember the early rhetoric that fueled the war and bloodshed. Remember why they fought. We live in a growing and diverse nation, one that has expanded the number of people entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our commitment to the cause of freedom will guarantee those pursuits are enjoyed by generations to come.
Happy Fourth of July – Independence Day.