They gathered in Philadelphia. They had requested, appealed, and beseeched the King and Parliament for fair treatment. Like Pharaoh dealing with Hebrews in Egypt, Great Britain only doubled down.
Among themselves, they debated fiercely about whether or not to do what they were about to do. No one had ever succeeded. What made them think that they would be different?
They knew the risks were great. How would others react? How would their own fellow colonists react? How would they protect themselves in the challenges they would face in the future?
It was evident that they stood at a crossroads in human history. They would either live without liberty as subjects of the King or they would take action that some would call treason.
Patrick Henry summed it up the year before in an address to the Virginia Convention. His closing words are a reminder today of the magnitude of what took place in Philadelphia a year later.
Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come. It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?
What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! (Patrick Henry, Second Virginia Convention March 23, 1775)
They came to a conclusion. The time for asking for relief from the King was over. Now, they were going to declare their freedom and independence.
Their right to stand as a free and independent nation came not as alms from a beneficent King. The right to freedom and liberty was a right from God, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe. They claimed that right and set forth for the world and posterity to see their reasoning and their stand on the matter.
No one had ever stood against the King and succeeded. The signers of the document knew that they had to put forth sound reasoning, but they also knew that they could not count on reason alone.
The Colonies had abundant natural resources, but they knew that they could not count on natural resources alone. There was hope that other nations, like France, would support the Colonies, but they knew that they could not count on the support of other nations alone.
The signers of the Declaration were committed to the cause, but they knew that they could not count on their commitment alone. The signers knew that all other sources of reliance are like sinking sand. There was only one source on which they could firmly rely. They recorded that truth for the world and posterity to see.
Perhaps the best known phrases from the Declaration are, “all men are created equal” and “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
The closing words of the Declaration are not as popularly known but they contain a phrase of ten words that is the bedrock, foundation, and most important words of our nation’s founding.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
Almost two and a half centuries later, the United States of America is a powerhouse in the world. The United States rescued England from Germany in two World Wars. The United States stood strong in the Cold War and caused the Soviet Union with its Communists puppet nations to fall.
The USA built railroads across the continent, connected the Atlantic and Pacific with the Panama Canal, and put men on the moon. The United States is the first to respond around the world when disasters strike. The United States is once again the energy powerhouse of the world.
In all of these strengths and greatness, those ten words, “with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence,” still constitute the bedrock of the greatness and exceptionalism of America.
Happy Independence Day. May God continue to richly bless you and may God bless America.
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