Posted by
Vansword on Sunday, July 05, 2009 2:18:04 PM
Hope all my FELLOW PATRIOTS had a wonderful July Fourth and were mindful of the brilliant designers of our republic and the price that has been paid so often for our liberty!!
Thomas Jefferson rented two upstairs rooms in the Graff house on the outskirts of Philadelphia in July of 1776. He wrote the Declaration of Independence in less than three weeks.
He drew on several of his own previous writings, The Va. State Constitution and A Summary View of the Rights of British Americans, as well as the Va. Declaration of Rights by fellow Virginian, George Mason.
In early June of 1776, when it was decided that the overall mood in the Continental Congress was one of agreement on independence from Great Britain, a committee of five, Jefferson among them,was formed to write the first draft of the formal declaration. Though the four other committee men thought Jefferson was obviously the best choice because he was from Va., was generally well-liked and a talented writer, Jefferson begged John Adams to do the writing. Adams told a friend years later that their conversation went something like this
"'I will not,' 'You should do it,' said Jefferson. 'Oh! no.' 'Why will you not? You ought to do it.' 'I will not.' 'Why?' 'Reasons enough.' 'What can be your reasons?' 'Reason first, you are a Virginian, and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason second, I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much otherwise. Reason third, you can write ten times better than I can.' 'Well,' said Jefferson, 'if you are decided, I will do as well as I can.'"
And do well he did! Our Declaration of Independence is one of the greatest documents in the history of mankind- it paved the way for the formation of the most successful republic the world has ever...or quite possibly.. ever will know! It was not written only for the colonists who were about to fight a bloody revolutionary war for their freedom from the tyranny of England. It is a living creed that we would do well to reread and reread until we as citizens know it by heart. It is what the United States of America stands for, then, now,and for all eternity. It has stood the test of time and of men's hearts. It is a decree of independence and a treatise on the the rights of men to be free and a warning- its reasons for separating from England the eternal reasons why tyranny and oppression should always be fought against.
For today's conservatives it stands as a beacon of light in this sudden onslaught of intrusive government and massive spending. When we really analyze some of the grievances that Jefferson outlines in the Declaration, there are startling similiarites with some of the issues that have arisen with our new presidential adminstration.
In referring to King George III, Jefferson writes, "He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures." Does this sound at all familiar to any of you? It brings to my mind the House's passing of legislation late at night when some voting members have gone home and to Republicans receipt of the Cap and Trade Bill in the dead of night.
"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance." Sounds like the appointment of a boatload of Czars to me! Maybe they haven't yet starting harassing the average citizen and taken away his livelihood but it's only a question of time....think pay czar!
"For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: " We've spoken our minds at countless town hall meetings and jammed the Congressional phone lines with cries of protest about the stimulus bill and Cap and Trade-all to no avail. They reassure us with sweet words and high flown motives but ignore us nonetheless.
"For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments...."
Well, they haven't taken away our founding documents alltogether nor outright stricken laws but they certainly have fundamentally altered the system of checks and balances, a most important form in our government.
"We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States". There is no other way to read this. To all of you liberals who think this country is all about big government and states relinquishing their sovereignty read those lines carefully! The colonies were meant to be united in an overall cause for their mutual benefit but were to remain "Independent States".
How could we have gotten so far away from this? Because the egos and the wills of individual politicians and the emphasis on partisan politics have put a damper on these voices from so long ago, from the Founding Fathers who tried to set a framework that would keep these bad influences at bay.
For anyone who thinks that the Revolutionary War, the Founding Fathers,our historic documents and the tyranny of kings are archaic subjects that we in the 21st century shouldn't have to bother with, just think of how often, now, we wake up to hear about some new czar or executive order or hint of corruption coming from this current administration. We should marvel at Jefferson's articulate words about our liberty and heed the warnings as well!
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