It's hard to believe that 250 years have passed since 56 men gathered in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia to make history. In a bold move, they committed an act of treason against the most powerful empire on Earth, sparking a revolution that would change the course of human history.
These men, a mix of landowners, entrepreneurs, politicians, and others, were driven by a new set of ideas flowing from enlightenment thinkers and Christian teaching. They saw the world differently, believing that freedom, equality, and self-governance were not just ideals, but fundamental human rights. Their convictions led them to start a war that no sane person believed they could win.
Imagine the skepticism they faced. The vast majority of countries in the world were hereditary monarchies and empires, where equal rights and individual liberty were not contemplated. The Founders' fight seemed incomprehensible, especially in a world where dictatorships like North Korea cloak themselves in the language of "republic."
The Second Continental Congress tasked Thomas Jefferson with drafting the document that would articulate their vision for humanity and this new country. He secluded himself for 17 days, pouring his heart and soul into the Declaration of Independence. In that rented home on Market Street, he drafted one of the most beautiful passages in history:
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.
Read those words again, imagining the impact they had on people living under oppressive rule. The Declaration was a "revolutionary" statement, articulating the ideological and factual basis for a coup against empire. But spiritually, it was more than that – a revolution against history, against the idea that some men and women are worth more than others.
When Jefferson submitted his document to the Congress, and those 56 men signed it, they ignited a war that would become a centuries-long fight to transform the globe from tyranny to liberty. They knew the risks – five signers were captured, tortured, and killed, and nine died from wounds or hardships fighting in the war.
They must have wondered if it was worth it – these ideals that had caused them to plunge a nation into violence. But unexpectedly, they won. In creating America, those Founding Fathers reshaped history, creating a world where nearly half of countries are democracies.
The combination of political freedom, free markets, and technological innovation unleashed by those systems has lifted billions of people out of poverty, creating a world more than 100 times richer than the one that existed at the time of the Declaration of Independence. The revolution in America has become a revolution in human history.
This weekend, we celebrate Independence Day, honoring 56 men who risked everything. But we also solemnly reflect on the charge of the Declaration and its authors. All people are created equal, endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights. Each of us deserves life, liberty, and the ability to pursue our own unique paths to flourishing.
But those inalienable rights are not guaranteed. As our forebears, we are called to embrace and fight for them. May we, on this Independence Day, marking America's 250th, fight back. May we have the audacity and conviction to oppose the enemies of liberty and to continue to fight for the promise of the Declaration and America's spiritual foundation. May we do so out of love – for our neighbors and for the blessings of the Creator.
