Today we remember the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. Many things have happened in the past two and a half centuries. Some of them have been good, others not. As Lincoln said, though, this document created a nation dedicated to the proposition that all are created equal. And today we stand, as we have always stood, asking again whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, may long endure.
The Declaration was not perfect, just as the United States is not perfect. We have learned much since it was first penned, and if we continue to follow the best principles of this nation we will continue to learn, grow, and develop into a better people.
In the 1980s under Reagan the teaching of civics was ended. Students no longer are taught the Declaration and the Constitution, with the consequences that today we hear extreme right-wing radicals such as Lauren Boebert say ridiculous things that no child would have believed previously. If people do not know the founding documents how can they defend the ideas of Liberty they represent?
So each year around July 4 I ask people to quote their favorite phrase from the Declaration. It’s a small bit of American revolution against the rise of fascism, but so long as some number stand for Liberty that light will illuminate the world.
My favorite phrase from the Declaration of Independence is “...we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor”.
Please quote your favorite phrase from the Declaration in the comments below.