Commentary

“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”, with these words the American colonists declared their separation and independence from the government in England.  Among the most memorable and important words, because of the power of the idea the words signify, written by humans, many Americans, according to a recent poll, don’t even know what we celebrate on July 4th.  The notion that individuals are equal, that they have inherent rights, including freedom, has been reflected most fully and stably in the United States.  While today our democracy is challenged, with a massive unelected bureaucracy attempting to govern every aspect of our daily lives, and unelected judges similarly imposing their views on the entire citizenry, this is still the country where most people would like to live.  We have problems we need to fix, but we all can be proud that our country generated the ideals that men and women everywhere should and usually do want to live by.