“The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” —George Washington (1789)

At our regular Monday staff meeting this week, I took some jabs about how long this 250th Independence Day column would be. The fact is, all the analysis and columns we have published over the last 30 years are, at their core, about American Liberty. But preparing for this column in recent weeks was daunting.

We already celebrated some notable 250th anniversaries in 2025, setting the stage for this Independence Day.

On March 23 of last year, we observed the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s impassioned “Give me Liberty or give me death” speech, which captured the spirit of the coming American Revolution. Then April 19 was the anniversary of the first Patriots’ Day — the battles at Lexington and Concord igniting our Revolutionary War fight for Liberty.

On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress directed “six companies of expert riflemen be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia,” establishing the Continental Army, now the U.S. Army. The next day, George Washington was unanimously appointed its Commander and would spend the next seven years on warfronts with the Redcoats. October 13 was the 250th anniversary of the founding of our Navy, and November 10 was the 250th anniversary of the founding of our Marine Corps.

You can read more about the events leading up to those dates and the Revolutionary War that followed in our Primer on American Liberty.

But how could I honor this Independence Day in one column?

I decided to focus only on what is most significant — our Declaration of Independence and the Founders tasked with affirming the Rights of Man — and then close with some perspective on where we are now, 250 years later.

It was on June 11, 1776, during the Second Continental Congress, comprising delegations from the 13 sovereign states, convened in Philadelphia, that a Committee of Five was appointed to draft what would become our Declaration of Independence — a document that was, and remains, the most consequential political declaration in the history of the world.

The committee included Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania), Thomas Jefferson (Virginia), John Adams (Massachusetts), Roger Sherman (Connecticut), and Robert Livingston (New York). The youngest among them, the 33-year-old Jefferson, a master wordsmith, was chosen to compose the draft at the insistence of John Adams.

Our Founders were flawed men, but what they Declared was not.

On July 4, after revisions and deletions, the unanimous Declaration was ratified, signed by John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, and the delegates. The Fourth of July has since become the Independence Day that John Adams insisted it should be in a letter to his wife Abigail on July 2: “It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”

The Declaration’s preamble begins:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

That set forth the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” affirming equality, and the right to cast off oppressors of such rights.

The preamble continues with the most powerful words ever asserted by man:

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.

This set forth the unalienable rights of all people to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” and the rights of the people to establish government to, first and foremost, protect these rights.

The Declaration then listed 27 complaints against King George III, “the causes which impel them to the separation.”

And it closed with this affirmation by the 56 delegate signers, who were merchants, farmers, doctors, lawyers, and those of other common professions: “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.”

With their signature, they were also signing their death warrants as traitors to the Crown.

It is important to remember that the principles outlined in our Declaration of Independence did not originate with Jefferson and our Founders. Jefferson was the author, and he gave voice to the eternal principles of Liberty, but these did not spring from his own brow.

These are eternal principles. And though the Declaration enumerated the eternal rights of all people “endowed by their Creator,” it was and remains aspirational.

The Liberty enshrined in our Declaration would be codified on September 17, 1787, in its subordinate guidance, our Constitution, as advocated by The Federalist Papers. At the close of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, a citizen asked Benjamin Franklin if the delegates had formed a Republic or a monarchy. “A Republic,” he responded famously, “if you can keep it.” The powers of government were further limited on December 15, 1791, by our Bill of Rights.

Of the supremacy of the Declaration over the Constitution, on the occasion of the Declaration’s 50th anniversary, James Madison wrote to Thomas Jefferson, “On the distinctive principles of the Government … of the U. States, the best guides are to be found in … The Declaration of Independence, as the fundamental Act of Union of these States.”

So, who were these Founders, and who was the man who would lead the Patriots in the American Revolution that followed?

One historian observed that Benjamin Franklin was probably the wisest, James Madison probably the most politically acute, Thomas Jefferson the most intellectually sophisticated, John Adams the best read, but they all agreed that George Washington was the greatest among them.

Indeed, Washington is rightly called both “The Father of Our Country” and “The Indispensable Man.” He was, as I have written, the “Model of Presidential Character.” He was unanimously elected as president of the Constitutional Convention, unanimously elected as our first president, and unanimously reelected to a second term. But he voluntarily relinquished each office once his work was completed. His was not a quest for power and titles; he was governed by strength of character, love of country and family, and, foremost, his devotion to God and American Liberty.

What follows is, in a selection of their own words, what defined these revered American Patriots and the greater good they established for us.

For Washington, “The Cause” was synonymous with “Liberty,” which is why we adopted his words as our motto: “Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!”

Washington:

The Hand of providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations. … The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be abused by human depravity. … We should never despair, our Situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better, so I trust, it will again. If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth new Exertions and proportion our Efforts to the exigency of the times. … Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions. … Your love of liberty — your respect for the laws — your habits of industry — and your practice of the moral and religious obligations, are the strongest claims to national and individual happiness. … The value of liberty was thus enhanced in our estimation by the difficulty of its attainment, and the worth of characters appreciated by the trial of adversity. … The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people. … The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.

Madison:

The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much solicitude to the different characters and capacities to be impressed with it. … The people of the U.S. owe their Independence and their liberty, to the wisdom of descrying in the minute tax of 3 pence on tea, the magnitude of the evil comprised in the precedent. Let them exert the same wisdom, in watching against every evil lurking under plausible disguises, and growing up from small beginnings. … I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations. … The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived. … Wherever the real power in a Government lies, there is the danger of oppression. … A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives. … Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been and ever will be pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit.

Jefferson:

Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever. … The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them. … The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground. … The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure. … It is of great importance to set a resolution, not to be shaken, never to tell an untruth. There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible; and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good disposition. … Honor, justice, and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail hereditary bondage on them. … Adore God. Reverence and cherish your parents. Love your neighbor as yourself, and your country more than yourself. Be just. Be true. Murmur not at the ways of Providence.“

Adams:

But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever. … Democracy will soon degenerate into an anarchy, such an anarchy that every man will do what is right in his own eyes and no man’s life or property or reputation or liberty will be secure. … Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom. … Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood. … Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private, and public virtue is the only foundation of republics. … It is the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated seasons, to worship the SUPREME BEING, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. … Each individual of the society has a right to be protected by it in the enjoyment of his life, liberty, and property, according to standing laws. … In the midst of these pleasing ideas we should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections.

Franklin:

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. … If by the liberty of the press were understood merely the liberty of discussing the propriety of public measures and political opinions, let us have as much of it as you please: But if it means the liberty of affronting, calumniating and defaming one another, I, for my part, own myself willing to part with my share of it. … They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. … Without Freedom of Thought there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as Public Liberty, without Freedom of Speech. … Here comes the orator! With his flood of words, and his drop of reason. … Have you something to do tomorrow; do it to-day. … Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve. … Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. … It is a common observation here that our cause is the cause of all mankind, and that we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own. … I have lived, Sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this Truth, that God governs in the Affairs of Men. And if a Sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid?

Notably, contentious political division is as old as contested presidential elections, emerging first in the 1796 election’s political party divide between the Democratic-Republican Party candidate, Jefferson, and the Federalist Party incumbent candidate, John Adams. That contest resulted in the first peaceful transfer of power in the history of the United States, as Adams narrowly defeated Jefferson.

Jefferson and Adams represented different ends of the political spectrum regarding the power of the central government, with Jefferson believing that power should be greatly limited and Adams advocating for more power — in the context of power at that time. That contest remains the line of political division today between the Republican Party and what has now devolved into the socialist Democrat Party.

Though Jefferson and Adams never resolved their political divide, they did reconcile their relationship. It is notable that they both died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration. The 83-year-old Jefferson’s last words were, "Is it the Fourth?” The 90-year-old Adams’s last words were, “Jefferson still lives,” not knowing his friend had died five hours earlier at Monticello.

Moving forward a hundred years, on the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration, President Calvin Coolidge summed up its significance:

About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning cannot be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction cannot lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.

And now, another hundred years later, where are we on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration?

In one sense, the answer to that question is in the political degradation of one state.

Virginia is the cradle of American Liberty, the home of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and other noted Founders. As such, the decline of that once-great state’s political and cultural standing is disgraceful — though I understand that is mostly because of the voter effluent spillover from the DC megapolis.

Today, it’s clear that Democrats don’t like America. There’s a huge patriotism gap between the parties.

When surveyed about celebrating our 250th, the divide in national pride between Republicans and Democrats is enormous — the former being proud to be American while the latter, not so much. We are witnessing that divide in viral social media accolades by foreign World Cup visitors, who have fallen in love with America, while Democrats hoped the nationwide competition would be a disaster.

But in a much greater sense, here are some perspectives on our great nation from those who have defended it with the highest level of valor.

In a recent interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” Margaret Brennan loaded a question for two young Medal of Honor recipients I know, a question that was typical for Leftmedia Beltway talkingheads. She claimed there is “a lot of darkness” these days, and she’s not wrong — but most of it is from her political cesspool.

She asked recipients William Swenson and Matt Williams: “We are coming up on the 250th anniversary of the American experience. What specifically makes you optimistic? Because this country feels dark these days, there’s a lot of darkness, what makes you feel optimistic?”

She was unprepared for their answer.

Swenson responded:

Well, ultimately because we’re in Washington, DC, and everything revolves around politics, we have to remember that politics isn’t everything. American lives continue on, children are born, children go to school, lives are achieved, dreams are achieved, this country is a great place! It’s not politics, it’s not just what’s the news bites coming off of media. Ultimately we continue as a country, continually imperfect, continually evolving forward, always trying to achieve a more perfect union. That’s what’s important to remember — what we can’t achieve aspirationally. No other place in history, time, or on this planet has ever gotten to where we are today. We need to be proud of that, and we need to remember that is what we stay focused on, what we can be.

Williams responded:

It’s so important to remember who we are as a country and take the opportunity to celebrate that. Think about the challenges that we’ve overcome, how far we’ve actually come. I think if you frame it that way, you think very deeply about our trials and tribulations from beginning to today, we’ve made tremendous strides. Our country is a global superpower, our economy is doing well, all those things are great. Take politics aside, out of this whole conversation. Be grateful for what you’ve got and the opportunities provided for you, and if you do that, I don’t see how you can’t be optimistic about our future!

I asked another recipient, Jim “Doc” McCloughan, to send along a few of his thoughts:

When I hear Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The USA,” it reminds me that we are one nation under God, and He has taken care of His people in so many ways. Since the “Shot Heard Round the World,” 47 million of our nation’s best have worn the uniforms of our military service branches, and more than 1.3 million American Patriots have died in the service of our great nation. These Patriots vigorously fought that we might live free. Of those who perished, President Ronald Reagan said they gave up two lives: The one they were living when KIA, and the one they never got to live. They never got to meet their soulmate and marry, never got to see the birth of a child and watch that child grow, never got to walk their little girl down the aisle and dance the father-daughter dance at the celebration after her wedding, and every anniversary, birthday, reunion, and holiday, they are not there. They gave up all of their tomorrows so we can have all of our todays. My Medal of Honor brothers sacrificed for generations to come, as have generations of Patriots who came before us. But you don’t have to wear a military uniform to be a Patriot. We are the greatest nation in the history of the world, and through the gifts and talents God has given each of us, we can make the USA the light of the world.

And the two most recent recipients offered a few words about our nation.

James Capers says: “This is the greatest country in the world. I fought for that flag, I believe in it.”

Nicholas Dockery offered a few words about his inspiration to serve others:

As a young boy, I spent a large part of my time in Kansas [where] tornadoes are a regular part of life. I remember seeing the aftermath of what a tornado can cause. I saw people of all ages helping those who had lost everything — everything they had. I saw firsthand what we as one people can do for one another during a time of crisis. We as a nation … we’ve gotten really good at unifying when we feel threatened. It seems like we wait for the worst to happen before we are reminded what our true core values are. But our nation is filled with great moments of unity. Every day there are moments of respect and compassion shared between one another. But collective unity cannot be limited to the moments in our darkest hours. It cannot be reserved solely for times of crisis. I love my country, and we all need to remember this: The best of America is yet to come.

So, as the old “Boomer” at our Patriot Post staff table Monday, I was moved by Nick’s words because I heard them first from Ronald Reagan in 1992 — and I believe them today!

I came of age under Reagan. It was an era of renewal, when strength, optimism, moral clarity, humility, and faith prevailed as presidential character traits.

Contextually, I knew then, as I do today, that times have been much worse for our country. In the last century alone, we survived two world wars, a Great Depression, the social and cultural disintegration of the 1960s and ‘70s, and other lesser trials. We began this century with the 9/11 Islamist attack on our nation.

And yet I am fully confident that, as President Reagan declared in 1992: “America’s best days are yet to come. Our proudest moments are yet to be. Our most glorious achievements are just ahead.”

However, Benjamin Franklin’s warning, “a Republic, if you can keep it,” is as relevant today as it was in 1787.

In a recent column on our National Anthem, “Oh Say Can You Still See — at 250?” I noted that the first stanza concludes: “Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”

I noted, “The answer to that question rests with you and me.”

Finally, in 1777, during dark days of the American Revolution, Patriot Samuel Adams declared: “If you love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”

Why would that first generation of American Patriots, and so many since, forgo “tranquility” for “the animating contest of freedom”?

The answer to that question defined the timeless spirit of American Patriotism then, just as it defines the spirit of American Patriots today.

We are the beneficiaries of generations of Americans who pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor “to support and defend” Liberty.

As such, we are devoted to something much larger than our self-interest. Again, as Washington declared, “Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!”

Patriots, through the trials we face now and to come, stand firm and fast, and remember who YOU are, brothers and sisters — who WE are together.

Pray with us daily for the Lord’s blessing upon our nation, that good and righteous leaders would rise and prevail so division would be healed and we would be united as Americans.

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Liberty, consider that one of the most cost-effective ways you can extend the blessings of freedom to the next generation is to support our 2026 Independence Day Campaign!

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Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776

Follow Mark Alexander on X/Twitter.

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