Freedom is like the air we breathe—you never realize how much you miss it until it is gone.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.
Psalm 33:12
I enjoy reading news articles online, and this 4th of July I came across many articles regarding the founding of our country and the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
One article included the entire text of the Declaration of Independence, asking the reader when was the last time you read it from beginning to end? For me, it’s been decades since I was required to read it in a civics class in high school.
Yesterday, I took the time to read the whole document and was astonished at the number of grievances listed regarding the abuses and cruel, unfair treatment by the King of England. This list was a beautifully written work, specific and thorough in identifying the violations against the States. And right at the beginning were the familiar, significant words, “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.”
The men who wrote and signed this document knew they were putting their lives on the line.
If caught, they faced execution as traitors to Britain. Nevertheless, at the end of the Declaration, right before the signatures, was written, “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.” Then the representatives from each State signed their names.
Thus began the United States of America as a bold experiment, with freedom of speech and religion, leaders who were accountable to the people, and individual states for more localized governance.
Scott Powell, a senior fellow at Discovery Institute, writes interestingly about our origins:
“Modern Americans need to remember that prior nations around the world for thousands of years were undemocratic and hierarchical, with rulers and their inner circles at the top having the power and privileges while people at the bottom had few rights. Before America was established, freedom and rights as we understand and experience them simply did not exist. As we think about July 4th, we should remember that America was the first nation in human history to establish a free and independent constitutional republic based on two political and moral principles. First, the government was required to protect its subjects’ unalienable God-given freedom and rights. Second, it was the first country to establish that the legitimacy for government resides exclusively in the people, who would elect their leaders.”
Our country, as established, indeed was an experiment. No country ever had been set up to have the power of government in the hands of the people. The Founders of our country created a government that was the opposite of the tyranny so explicitly described in the Declaration of Independence, and against which they fought a brutal war. It’s not a democracy, but a representative republic; not by majority rule, which the Founders anticipated could easily become mob rule, but by representatives allotted to each state so that small or lightly populated states could have just as much say in matters of the country as heavily populated states.
The wisdom of our Founders in establishing our government is extraordinary.
As you read about the founding of our country, you will see the dependence upon “Providence” which our Founding Fathers had. They prayed often during the process, seeking God’s wisdom and guidance. Even those men who were not inclined to follow any religion acknowledged the existence of a higher power, or Providence, and knew it was necessary to seek divine intervention in the immense work they were attempting. And God certainly answered their prayers, because they produced an astounding work called the Constitution of the United States to guide our country for years to come.
They were wise to write it in such a way that it was not specific to their moment in history but had an ageless interpretation. They also included methods so that this list of rules governing the people could be amended to reflect changes necessary as time progressed. The wisdom required to create such a document was truly Divinely inspired!
There is a good movie which follows the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
It’s called “1776,” and is a lighthearted musical focusing on the role John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin had in the creation of our nation’s Independence. Perhaps it seems strange to have a lighthearted musical account of this momentous time in history, but it is well acted, the music is good, and it gives a realistic depiction of the difficulties that existed in getting all the States to agree on the wording and meaning of the Declaration of Independence.
There was serious disagreement on whether or not to include a 168-word passage drafted by Thomas Jefferson that condemned slavery as one of the many evils foisted upon the colonies by the British crown. As the movie depicts it, the Southern states refused to sign the document as long as that statement was in it and walked out of the meeting. Jefferson was furious and did not want it removed, but John Adams convinced him it was a battle best left for another day.
On a lighter note, there’s a humorous song performed by Adams, Franklin and Jefferson regarding which bird should symbolize the new nation. Adams wanted the eagle, Jefferson wanted the dove, and Franklin wanted the turkey!
Another good source of information about the founding of our country is a book by Michael Medved.
Michael Medved is a dedicated historian, among other things, and has written an amazing book titled, “The American Miracle,” which is filled with true stories of God’s divine intervention in the founding of our country.
You will be amazed, blessed, and encouraged, as I was, that God indeed had His hand on the establishment of our country, and that His hand is upon us still.
