Each Fourth of July is a good time to consider the eloquent and insightful commentary filling the Declaration of Independence that was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1776. The Declaration of Independence was initially drafted by Thomas Jefferson. At the time, he was 33 years old.
Tag: Declaration of Independence
Last Thursday was Independence Day, commemorating when delegations from the thirteen colonies approved the Declaration of Independence. Often overlooked today is that the Declaration of Independence asserted the independence of each colony as its own nation — a state. The Declaration of Independence did not assert the existence of an overarching nation of the United States of America.
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American Secession
On Independence Day, many Americans think about, at least briefly, the American Revolution. One important thing they should consider in this reflection is that the American Revolution is misnamed. A more appropriate name would be the American Secession.
And an appropriate question for now, when the power of the United States government and Americans’ dissatisfaction have become immense, is whether the time is right for another American Secession.
The Declaration of Independence, celebrated each July Fourth, does not speak of creating a powerful new government. Instead, it challenges the excessive power exercised in various ways by the British government in the American colonies. Over the many decades since the document’s publication, the increased rejection of the recognition that the colonies and then the American states are free and independent is tied to the growing of the United States government’s power and the decreasing respect for liberty in America.