The Declaration of Independence

July 4th is the 241st birthday of our great country. This is a celebration worth embracing. For 241 years the United States has been a beacon of freedom, liberty, and the “American Dream.” The United States has grown from an upstart pest to the greatest country the world has ever known. However, we cannot rest on our laurels. We have issues that need addressing. Issues headed up by a burgeoning debt, which is now nearly 20 trillion dollars, or $61,364 for every person in the United States, and $165,928 for every tax payer in the United States. Source: USDebtClock.org.

But let’s back up and remember for a moment our founding fathers and the tremendous sacrifice they made in establishing our country. We go all the way back to 1620, when courageous families came to this land to establish a civilization out of the raw land. They came not so much for economic gain, but to secure liberty from stifling laws in their home country. One hundred and fifty years later their ancestors pledged their “lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor” to establish this nation. The fate of our nation was very much in doubt. The fate of their lives, and the lives of their families, was very much in doubt. It is hard to imagine today what they were risking—they were literally risking everything.

As Thomas Jefferson pointed out, to sign a Declaration of Independence from Great Britain was akin to “treason” and might lead to “the headman’s axe.” This was not hype and exaggeration. This was putting it all on the line with the hope of securing a country based on the “grand experiment” our Constitution entailed.

With the issue in doubt, one unknown man stood and proclaimed with tremendous conviction:

“They (the British) may turn every tree into a gallows, every hole into a Grave, and yet the words of that parchment can never die. To the mechanic in the workshop, they will speak hope, to the slave in the mines, freedom. Sign that parchment. Sign if the next moment the noose is around your neck, for that parchment will be the textbook of freedom, the bible of the rights of man forever.”

The key to this new form of government was that all men are created equal, with certain God-given rights, and with the power of this government resting with “We the people.” People first, not government. The rule of law, not of men.

As President Dwight Eisenhower stated: “There is nothing wrong with America that the faith, love of freedom, intelligence, and energy of her citizens cannot cure.” I agree. While we have significant issues to resolve, from health care reform, to tax reform, to immigration reform, and, of course, the national debt, we can tackle these problems together, if we are all ready to pitch in and do our part. Americans are resilient people. When pushed into a corner, we have proven time and time again that working together we can solve the issue, whether it be a World War against totalitarian regimes or pulling out of the Great Depression.

Would we have the courage to sign that parchment? Do we have the courage to pull up our boot straps and work together to solve today’s issues? I think we do. This “grand experiment” is far from over.

May God Bless you as we celebrate this Independence Day. May God continue to Bless the United States of America.

Judge Russell Fagg has been a State District Court Judge for over 22 years, is past President of the Montana Judges Association, and served two terms in the Montana legislature.