Submitted by: Veronica Coffin
By: David Barton | Wallbuilders
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.
Many of the signers suffered for their actions. Some were hunted, lost homes and property, fled with their families to avoid capture, and had family members captured or killed. Yet despite the high cost, no signer went back on his personal pledge, and America didwin its freedom! The stories of the signers inspire us, and America has thrived under the five unique principles theyset forth in the Declaration:
- There is a Creator.
- The Creator has given a certain set of inalienable rights to every individual.
- The primary purpose of government is to protect those inalienable rights.
- There is a fixed moral law (“the laws of Nature and of Nature’s God”).
- Decisions below the level of inalienable rights and fixed morals are to be made with the consent of the governed.
As we remember these principles from our nation’s founding, let’s celebrate this Independence Day in a way that was recommended by John Adams in 1776:
It ought to be commemorated, as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.
This short video by David Barton identifies the principles that have made America exceptional. Happy Fourth of July!