Most of the time we think of the Declaration of Independence in national terms. Severing our ties to Great Britain necessitated the formation of a new government originally defined by the Articles of Confederation. Ultimately, these two documents lead to our current Constitution - a document that is changeable, but does not evolve of its own accord.
These documents and the ideas contained within are the result of the coming together of a free people. They represent a choice - one that cost many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence their fortunes, their families, their very lives.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.These honorable men didn't fight for healthcare, welfare, or any other government entitlement that you can think of. They risked everything for the chance to stand on their own, to run their businesses and their lives as they saw fit. They fought to remove the shackles of government, not to replace them with restraints in another form.
The U.S. Constitution is a direct result of that type of thinking. It's designed not to empower government, but to restrain it. It doesn't define our freedoms; it defines our government's limitations.
Somewhere in the last two centuries we've forgotten about the pride and dignity of being independent. We've been lured into an interdependence that empowers government beyond anything that our founding fathers ever envisioned. In fact, we believe that they would be truly appalled.
This July 4th - this Independence Day, remember that this day should be more than a celebration of separation. It should be a day celebrating our personal liberty, our freedom... our independence.