Happy Birthday, America!
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness...(Read the complete document here.)
Additional Information: Basic background at Wikipedia, with many links. Get your own free pocket-sized copy of the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States.
14 comments:
I am not an american, but it makes your heart sing to read that declaration.
When are we all going to act upon it in this period when the opressor is not a foreign or a colonial power, but our own governments who claim that we vote them into power.
Have a very Happy Independence Day!
`x~William.
The happiest of Independence Days to you!
Oh dear, I hope I haven't put my european foot into anything!
We don't celebrate July 4th here in England, but I hope you all enjoyed your day.
Thank you everybody for your comments!! I hope all of you Americans had a BLAST yesterday!! And celebrated our nation's 233rd birthday with style!
And thanks non-Americans for your comments, too. We love to celebrate and share our activities with everyone, so if you'd been here, you would have been to a barb-b-que or a picnic and enjoyed the fireworks for a traditional Fourth or spent a day doing something special with fireworks at dusk for a more non-traditional celebration. Guaranteed, though, you would have had a relaxing and fun day followed by some thrilling fireworks.
Our next fireworks holiday is New Year's Eve -- and it's not that far off!! Sheesh, where has this year gone? [Shaking head in dismay, still waking up from the holiday revels...]
Fly!! I loved both your comments. Thank you so much for your understanding of what it means to be an American in one's heart. I think that's one reason we welcome and embrace and accept everyone from all over the world who seek political freedom and personal liberty as outlined in the Declaration. It is one of the most important political documents in history, standing solidly behind the Magna Carta, though it took the Age of Enlightenment and over 500 years to make the leap from one to the next.
And, no, you didn't put your European foot into anything! Your comments are not only quite valid, but embraced by a growing number of people in this country that feel our oppressors are from within.
When a politician wins his or her office under false pretenses and abuses the power we as citizens have given them, citizens are NOT happy and soon that lying politician will feel the heat of millions of deceived voters. We can only hope our system remains viable and the will of the people is heard. I don't think the majority of our fat, dumb and happy fellow citizens have the stomach to go through a re-run of what the Founders experienced to create our nation. Our nation as we know it is slowing slipping away and without some backbone it may not be recoverable.
I think the next few years will see a critical and fundamental change in the American political system. Either we will return to our traditional Constitutionally based representative republic, or we will be ?? A Marxist dictatorship? A Balkanized banana republic? Or any one of a variety of alternate forms of government, including an absolute monarchy -- self established and self-perpetuated. Now wouldn't that be ironic? LOL
I don't discount anything, as the level of unrest among the quiet classes is high and rising. Stay tuned. The show is just starting. :D
Unrest is high and rising and I am truly fearful for our Republics future. We ALL need to get a backbone and let our voices be heard at the voting booths!! Thanks for saying it so well!
Good Morning SG!! Thank you for your comment!! I am fearful of what may happen in the next year before we even get a chance to express our will at the ballot box. I can only pray we strengthen that backbone and grow some cajones between now and then.
We need to work hard to restore the Constitution. We need to oppose the thuggery so rampant at not only the federal level but also within state and local governments. We can't let it scare us into inaction and make it easy for the thugs to continue to roll over us.
In short, I'm pleading with my fellow Americans to embrace the Spirit of '76 and stand up to tyranny in all its forms. It is our only hope.
William!! I hope you had a great Fourth with lots of fun and food and fireworks! :D
Nickie Goomba!! [I love your name & blog!!] Thanks a bunch for dropping in yesterday and leaving your cheery comment!! I hope you had a great Fourth, too!! :D
Thanks so much for your comments! It IS really scary! I just heard a survey that indicated that so many Americans could not even recognize phrases from the Declaration and Preamble as to what document they were from! When we Americans do not even know our history, things are really bleak! That compounded with the fact that so many in the judicial branch see the constitution as a living, changing document and interpret it accordingly!
Carol!! Thank you for your comment!! Yes, too bad the judges think it is a living, breathing document. No, it's not set up that way -- yet. I am a strict constructionist when it comes to the Constitution. Would that people could just learn about the Founders and not have everything colored by politics. Just learn the facts, make up your own mind. But who has the patience? Who has the interest? It's not sexy or exciting enough and it does require access to a dictionary and more attention span than can be packed into a 15 sec. commercial. And it is hard to be truthful and be able to put the concepts into soundbites. We can only hope people realize they must educate themselves.
I do recommend getting a free copy of the Declaration and the Constitution from the Heritage Foundation. Use that link. You can read it and not be distracted by commentary from one side or the other. It's definitely the Joe Friday School of Government, "Just the facts, ma'am."
Thanks for posting and have a wonderful day!! :D
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