Spirit of 1776

Independence Day, or July 4^th, has been my favorite secular holiday since I was a child. Why? It’s summertime. No school. Hot days and warm nights. The sense of endless possibility that permeates the summertime vibe. Fireworks. Cookouts. Swimming. Family gatherings. And so much more…

Independence Day is also, more importantly, the time when we Americans as a nation celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the document that outlined our reasons for separating from the crown of England and forming a nation of our own.

What many people seem to have forgotten, and what they no longer teach in the indoctrination centers otherwise known as public schools, is that our country was formed intentionally, on the basis of a philosophical construct that has as its foundation the concept of individual human rights that are intrinsic to us as human beings. The document goes on to state that “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,…”

This declaration remains one of the most potent political documents ever written, because it recognizes that we human beings have certain rights that are intrinsic to us as human beings, and that the sole purpose of government is to “secure” or protect these rights.

Note that it does not say that governments grant rights – they don’t. Note that it does not say that we exist to serve the government – we don’t. Note that it says does not say our ONLY unalienable rights are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, it says “among”; implying that we have OTHER unalienable rights intrinsic to our state of being human that are not enumerated in that document.

I would submit that one of those rights is the right to property, including physical property and the products of our minds. Indeed, that right is held so important it IS enumerated in several documents of the time. Another is the right to self-defense and its corollary – the right to keep and bear arms.

The governments we’ve voted in place over the centuries since have long grown past the few, limited powers that are discussed in the Declaration and enshrined in the United States Constitution.

Indeed, as author Mark Levin puts it, our country has  “…entered the age of post-constitutional soft tyranny…” where “What was intended to be a relatively innocuous federal government, operating from a defined enumeration of specific grants of power, has become an ever-present and unaccountable force. It is the nation’s largest creditor, debtor, lender, employer, consumer, contractor, grantor, property owner, tenant, insurer, health-care provider, and pension guarantor.”¹

The government does what it pleases, and if you are not a member of the favored groups or demographics, watch out. As we’ve seen in recent years, government agencies that are supposed to be non-political and non-partisan have been weaponized to persecute the opponents of the party in power. What they are doing to Donald Trump and pro-life activists can easily be done to any of us who dare to oppose the “progressive” elements who are largely running the country.

Different Times

In 1776, before the United States was a country, we were a group of colonies on the Eastern seaboard subject to the English Crown – King George, in fact. The 13 colonies decided to form a Continental Congress to serve as a governing body in an environment of rising tensions with England. The Second Continental Congress was formed in 1775 after hostilities broke out in Massachusetts. It was the delegates of the Second Continental Congress who determined there was a need to have a document outlining the moral reasons for the rebellion against King George.

Let’s think about the courage of these men. They were engaged in a shooting war with a formidable foe – Great Britain was one of the world’s superpowers at the time. They were hacking a life out of the wilderness with often hostile natives on the fringes. They did not have access to any of the wonders of modern life, no electricity, no mechanical power for transportation, no internet, no hot and cold running water, no air conditioning.

They existed for the purpose of creating a unified response to the situation with England and to provide overall direction for the colonies, which were themselves governed by duly elected bodies.

The signers of the Declaration were all criminals – in that they had committed treason against their lawful sovereign King George of England. As the great Benjamin Franklin said, “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

America was founded, by intention, on a philosophical construct that all people are created equally with intrinsic rights, and that THEY, not some king, are sovereign. The nation they created was a reflection of that belief.

Losing the Spirit

Sadly, over the 248 years since then, we’ve lost that revolutionary spirit. After the trauma of the Civil War which ended the evil of human slavery in the United States, a new movement of thought arose. Grounded in the belief that educated and trained bureaucrats were superior to elected officials in ordering society and running the government, and influenced by the writings of German philosopher Karl Marx, these “progressives” set about tearing down the founding philosophy and replacing it with their own dystopian vision.

The size, scope, budgets and reach of every single level of government in the United States has grown considerably since the progressives began being elected to office throughout the land. And indeed, the vision of what government is for and what it should do has changed considerably since the late 18^th century.

Then, people wanted as little to do with government as possible. National defense is good. Sure, there’s a law enforcement function. Absolutely a need for courts. Yes, a post office is a legitimate function of government according to Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution. But that’s about it. Nobody was interested in paying taxes (indeed the American Revolution started as a revolt against taxes!) and just wanted the government to leave them alone.

People looked first to themselves and their communities to get things done, not to the government. But as the progressive ideology began to take hold, that changed. Public schools became public indoctrination centers where children were taught that government is good, and if you have a problem it’s the government’s job to fix it.

And then, just like that, everybody started demanding that government solve all of life’s problems. Joe makes more money than Jack? That’s not fair! We’re going to take Joe’s money by force and give it to Jack.

And so we’ve come to the point that government is involved in nearly every aspect of our lives, and not for the better. Because this is the case, government – and who runs the government, both elected and unelected – becomes a very high stakes game indeed.

This is why elections are so nasty, ugly and hard-fought. This is why four of the wealthiest counties in America are the ones surrounding Washington, D.C. This is why “serving” in elected office over decades can make one very wealthy indeed.

Just for one example, let’s take a look at Senator Charles “Chuck” Schumer (D-NY). According to caclubindia.com, “After holding the office as a Senator for more than twenty years, Chuck Schumer’s net worth is $81 million as of 2024. His source of income can be mainly attributed to lobbying and business ventures, say’s Forbes.” [emphasis mine]

Chuck got rich from investing in real estate “with the help of a few wealthy real estate tycoons”, who helped him “…buy many properties at the right time and at the right place”.

“Since 2008, Schumer has invested $6 million in real estate. The value of these properties is now worth over $25 million, giving him a 400% return.”

There’s more, but you get the idea. Bernie Sanders (D) and Elizabeth Warren (D), two of the more obnoxious progressives in the Senate, are also worth millions, all of it derived from government “service” and book sales (capitalism in action!).

Instead of “pledging their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor”, these people are taking advantage of being powerful government officials to enrich themselves and selling the rest of us out in the process.

Recapturing the Dream

As long as there are people who understand and embrace the philosophical foundation of the American Dream, it is never dead. And it is up to those people to reclaim the dream.

How do we do that?

By educating our children in the true history of America, how the world works, and the proper role of government.

By working together (instead of fighting each other) to recruit and support candidates for elected office who remember the vision of America and who will fight for limited government, low taxes and freedom. By VOTING for these candidates, even when they are not our preferred candidate.

By understanding, and sharing our understanding, that it is not the proper role of government to solve every one of life’s problems. By showing the benefits of our modern life and supporting it. Because it all rests on three pillars, and the Left is busy chipping away at all three. Don’t let them.

By recognizing that government is not your friend, and that the concept of government “benevolence” is a myth – a dangerous one. To quote myself: “Government is nothing but force with a legal monopoly on the use of force. It is a blunt instrument and is incapable of responding quickly or adapting intelligently. The more power the government has, the less Liberty we have. Our Founders left us a constitutional republic. It’s up to us to reclaim it.”

In the Spirit of 1776, let us rise up and reclaim our states and our nation from the forces of progressivism, communism, and failure. We owe it to ourselves and future generations.