John,

Two-hundred forty-seven years ago today, suffering in the summer heat in Philadelphia, the fifty-six delegates to the Second Continental Congress brought forth a new nation upon this continent—as Abraham Lincoln would remark eighty-seven years later, a nation “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

The Declaration of Independence that was adopted on July 4, 1776 is far more than just a list of grievances against King George III’s government—then and now, it’s a mission statement for our country, for the values we hold, for the purpose behind having a United States of America. And John, it’s also a promise—that this is why our government exists and this is what it will stand for.

“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.”

These words of Thomas Jefferson are perhaps some of the most famous in the English language, but today, I would challenge you to really read them, to take in their meaning and really consider what they say. I can’t help but be struck by how astonishing, how remarkable a statement this is: but to really understand how remarkable, we have to go back across the pond, and travel back in time nearly a century, to the English philosopher John Locke.

Locke’s ideas on liberty and the social contract were highly influential on our founding fathers—and in particular, much of the language in the opening to the Declaration of Independence has clear roots in his Two Treatises on Government, where he first expresses his idea that people create governments “for the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties and estates”.

Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, and the others were well aware of Locke’s writings—except that Jefferson made one critical change: the Declaration of Independence recognizes that government exists not to secure “lives, liberties, and estates” (i.e. property rights), but “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.

The pursuit of happiness. Quite a contrast from Locke’s priorities. Isn’t that incredible? Two-hundred forty-seven years ago, the brightest minds of the day sat down to make history, to challenge the supremacy of one of the largest empires the world had ever known, to expound on the reasons why governments ought to exist, to codify what the very first promise of their new nation would be, and they settled on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The promise of the American nation is that our government exists to enable us to reach our full potential, to live freely, to have the opportunity to do the things that make us happy. To thrive. To prosper. To keep us safe.

To be a force for good, basically.

In recent years, our government has strayed from the American promise. Just within the last week, we’ve seen rulings from the Supreme Court and laws moved through the NC General Assembly that will make it much harder for many of our neighbors to pursue their own happiness. But the American nation makes another important promise: the promise of democracy. The promise that there will always be another election, and that if we don’t like what the government is doing, we can change it, peacefully.

So let us keep striving to better keep the promise our country has made. America will be forever unfinished, but it is up to every new generation to recommit to the ideal set forth 247 years ago. Though the times may get tough, we must not despair, and we most certainly cannot quit. Today, as we celebrate our Independence Day, we reaffirm not only what America is, but all that America can be.

I hope that you and yours have a wonderful Fourth of July.

Take care,
Wesley Harris

www.harrisfornc.com