The American Revolution

“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 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” (p. 59).

This excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, in my opinion, contains one of the most powerful statements in the human history. It is as powerful today and will always be. It is the basis to unsure justice and equality. If all people could embrace this model of thinking the world would be a better place. Every man is equal and deserves to be treated with the same respect. There are no exceptions. Of course, it should have been said all humans, and not all men. They were obviously excluding women and even slaves, when they wrote it. And to this day in 2013, I am not sure if people are practicing this as Chesterton called “American Creed.”  I think America for the most part has done a good job keeping the Government from becoming destructive, and we have achieved many of these freedoms. My heart goes out to the countries still fighting for justice and freedom, like Libya, Syria and others.