July 4, 1776 Independence Declared

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Psalm 33:12

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Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.  -Thomas Jefferson 

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John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776"

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The 4th of July has arrived and Americans across our nation and around the world will celebrate, whether they realize it or not, the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on this day in 1776. This Declaration by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, PA marked quite clearly the culmination of years of debate by the colonists. This document declared the 13 British Colonies independence from Great Britain and King George III and ushered in five years of war, what Americans refer to as the the Revolutionary War, with Great Britain.

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The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription

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....

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If you have not read the Declaration of Independence lately I encourage you to do so.  I can think of no higher honor to pay to those men and women who sacrificed their lives and fortunes over 235 years ago for the freedoms you enjoyed today.

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Lastly, I encourage you to thank God for His divine providence and blessings which so many people take for granted.  As you read the Declaration note the four references to God;

-to "the laws of nature and nature's God"

-to all men being "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"

-to "the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions"

-to "the protection of Divine Providence."

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Grace & Peace