On this day 236 years ago, a group of men—leaders of the American colonies—gathered in Philadelphia to affix their signatures to what has become one of the most important documents in history. By signing our Declaration of Independence, they risked their fortunes and lives in affirmation of what were to become the foundational and distinctive principles of our nation. Three of these are so fundamental that we find them imprinted on every coin in circulation today. Having come under continuous attack for many years, we must revisit them periodically to remind ourselves of their importance and centrality to our country.
Liberty
Millions of desperate souls have come to America for one significant reason: freedom! Here life is what you choose to make it. You are free to succeed—or to fail—as a result of your own choices rather than the dictates of government. Over the last century we have seen our federal government grow and assume increasing authority. Americans have an instinctive distrust of centralized power. This distrust is justified, as every increase in the government’s power and authority diminishes our individual liberty—one of the most commonly cherished traits of American life. Freedom must be guarded by every generation, for once lost it is very difficult to regain.
E Pluribus Unum
“Out of many, one.” For well over a century, successive waves of immigrants have arrived on our shores, bringing with them their own unique cultures and traditions but learning our common language and assimilating into our society—becoming Americans. Try though you may, you will find no other nation which has openly welcomed a more disparate variety of peoples. The multicultural movement of recent years is at direct odds with this principle, creating enclaves of “hyphenated Americans” rather than a united people. America has always embraced the newcomer, and must continue to do so, making each one a valued member of the whole.
In God We Trust
Finally, and most importantly, Americans do not put their trust in human institutions—not even in the government we choose for ourselves. Our founders acknowledged from the beginning that our rights and freedoms come not from a fallible human institution, but are granted by God. As John Adams put it, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Trust in God is the linchpin of our nation, without which freedom is merely bestowed at the whim of the current ruling party, and unity an impossible illusion. We must fight at every turn the attempt to minimize the importance of religious faith in American history and to our nation today.
Liberty. E Pluribus Unum. In God We Trust. Not a Trinity to be worshipped, but one to cherish and defend on this, our Independence Day.
[An enormous, “Thank you,” to Dennis Prager, who made me aware of the American trinity and, to my knowledge, formulated the concept.]