On Independence Day, we celebrate the incredible spirit of America – and we do it together, with our communities.
Our trailblazing founders famously risked their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to create America. They laid it all out in the Declaration of Independence, pitting them against a country – and military – that was much more powerful than the American colonies.
That one document shows the power of free speech, freedom of the press and the right to petition. When it came to creating the Constitution, those rights were enshrined in the first amendment to ensure that Americans would never lose those rights.
A country this free had never been tried before, but our founders had faith in liberty – and in us.
Because of that, they fought. They fought for decades trying to work with a tyrannical king to bring liberty to the American colonies. Then they fought nearly a decade more to free the colonies from him entirely and forge a new story as our own country, conceived in liberty.
America’s character still continues in that founding spirit. When we stand up for the things that matter, we are exercising our hard-won Constitutional rights. It’s even more powerful when we do it together in celebration.
That’s how our founders got it done. They came from a variety of socio-economic and ideological backgrounds and put those differences aside. They focused on the values they held in common to create America. Each of them had the opportunity to contribute their own strengths which were respected by the others. It would have been unthinkable that such a group would have come together under normal circumstances– but they were united in their shared values. We should take pride in celebrating their unity. What they accomplished changed the world forever.
When we gather for a cookout, a parade or to watch the fireworks on Independence Day, we embody that legacy of liberty. With family, friends and our larger communities, we demonstrate that America is about the people who live the American spirit. America is bigger than any political ideology that radicals try to use to drive a wedge between us.
Celebrating Independence Day unites us in our common history and our mission to work together towards an ever more united future.
