Happy Independence Day! Why did 13 colonies secede from Britain? What are we celebrating?
Reposting what I say every year, if you haven’t read it in a while – take a few minutes to read our Declaration of Independence, and remember why this day is celebrated.
The Declaration’s purpose: to clarify reasons the American colonies were seceding from Britain and publicly announce the separation.
Practical impact in the moment: treason and inciting a war with the world’s dominant super power.
As Benjamin Franklin pointed out: “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
Guts. This took guts.
It genuinely breaks my heart that the Republic was destroyed, and this fascinating experiment has ultimately failed. Every Independence Day, I am confronted with the sad reality that most Americans are content to bathe in nationalistic symbolism, but have, in fact, completely abandoned the principles of the founding and this brilliant document.
Regardless of where the US stands today and the countless mistakes since that time, this document summarized a philosophical approach to life and government rooted in the defense of individual rights. It was an incredibly radical statement for any group to make – and that…is pretty freaking cool.
Read the Declaration of Independence here.
