Quote Of The Day - Thursday, 2/3/2011

Published by Lois Lame, Assistant Editor

Date:  2/3/2011
Post:  1,640

The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress.

The Declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing colonial grievances against King George III, and by asserting certain natural rights, including a right of revolution. Having served its original purpose in announcing independence, the text of the Declaration was initially ignored after the American Revolution. Its stature grew over the years, particularly the second sentence, a sweeping statement of individual human 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."  ~ Written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by The Continental Congress of the United States of America on July 4, 1776

This sentence has been called "one of the best-known sentences in the English language"[2] and "the most potent and consequential words in American history"[3]

    2.  Lucas, "Justifying America", 85
     3.  Ellis, American Creation, 55–56.

It seems to the publisher of this posting that the important questions above all others for We The People of the United States of America are and shall always be:

1. Do we still believe in this statement of equality and unalienable Rights and will we continue to do everything possible to secure and retain these Rights for ourselves, our countrymen, our children and our grandchildren?
2. Do we still believe that this statement of equality applies universally throughout the world to all men and women throughout the world, that they too are endowed by their Creator with the same inalienable Rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness we as Americans lay claim to?  And will we do everything in our power to help others around the world secure these same Rights for themselves?
3. What is the proper role of American foreign policy when it comes to helping our fellow man in foreign countries secure the same unalienable Rights we have enjoyed for so long?  Is our role to be noble and stand on higher principle?  Or is our proper role to be practical and protect the best interests of the American people by promoting stability in foreign countries above all else?

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