Happy Fourth of July and Independence Day!

There is no holiday that stirs such pride in our country as does the Fourth of July. I am so grateful for the fifty-six men who “pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor” that we as a nation may enjoy our God given liberties. What dedication! What sacrificial commitment to the cause of liberty! The founders also clearly defined the source of liberty as “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” and that since these self-evident truths of freedom were derived from the Ruler of the Universe it is our job as citizens to protect and defend these liberties. This is what drove these men to put their lives and livelihood on the line so that future generations could enjoy their heritage of freedom.

I love Lincoln’s defense of the principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence in his debate with Douglas. At this time Douglas and the Supreme Court were saying instead of being universal principals of freedom the Declaration was only for that generation of Englishmen to declare why they were separating from Great Britain. Lincoln argues basically that the declaration was meant to declare all men equal not in possessions but equal in “unalienable rights” among which are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;” not that they had these rights or were they to be given by the Declaration but that the Declaration was to be a standard of freedom for generations to come. Otherwise he argues if the Declarations only intention was to dissolve connections with Great Britain, “why, that object having been effected some eighty years ago, the Declaration is of no practical use now—mere rubbish—old wadding left to rot on the battle-field after the victory is won” (The Language of Liberty, 205). But it is more than that, it is the banner or freedom to Americans and all peoples who desire to enjoy their “unalienable Rights”

Our country and flag stand for these principles. In Oliver Wendall Holmes poem “God Save the Flag” he paints a clear picture for the price our country has paid for the defense of liberty so now it is a beacon of hope to the world.

God Save the Flag

By Oliver Wendall Holmes

Washed in the blood of the brave and the blooming,
Snatched from the alters of insolent foes,
Burning with star-fires, but never consuming,
Flash its broad ribbons of lily and rose.

Vainly the prophets of Baal would rend it,
Vainly his worshipers pray for its fall;
Thousands have died for it, millions defend it,
Emblem of justice and mercy to all:

Justice that reddens the sky with her terrors,
Mercy that comes with her white-handed train,
Soothing all passions, redeeming all errors,
Sheathing the saber and breaking the chain.

Borne on the deluge of old usurpations,
Drifted our Ark o’er the desolate seas,
Bearing the rainbow of hope to the nations,
Torn from the storm-cloud and flung to the breeze!

God bless the Flag and its loyal defenders,
While its broad folds o’er the battle-field wave,
Till the dim star-wreath rekindle its splendors,
Washed from its stains in the blood of the brave!

I am so thankful for the generations of men and women who have defended the freedoms our forefathers won for us. Enjoy and defend your freedom by self-control and love for your neighbor and country. Happy Independence Day!