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.
In June 1776, the Second Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia. The path to independence remained uncertain at that moment, despite the “shot heard round the world” having been fired at Concord more than a year prior in April 1775. Although armed conflict had erupted in certain colonies, many Americans still harbored hopes of reaching an accommodation with England over matters of taxation and representation, one that might forestall separation.
Yet the arguments advanced by prominent figures such as John Adams in favor of breaking with England proved persuasive. Even the most cautious colonists found themselves swept up in the growing drive toward independence.
On July 2, delegations from 12 states voted to declare independence (New York’s delegation abstained), and on July 4, the assembled delegates signed the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson’s opening words in the second paragraph of the Declaration rank among the most celebrated passages in English and have been quoted more widely in any language than nearly any other text since their publication. (We must acknowledge that Jefferson’s reference to “men” was quite literal, inasmuch as it did not include women, and it certainly did not include African slaves of either gender.) However, the use of the adjective “all men” is what was most revolutionary about the Declaration. The signers themselves largely belonged to America’s elite—Jefferson himself owned a plantation worked by slaves—yet their language clearly was meant to encompass even those of the common classes.
That single sentence in the Declaration transformed the world’s existing order. It laid groundwork for the French Revolution years later and ultimately contributed to the fall of monarchies across the globe. The democracy we know today is founded upon the principle that every citizen deserves an equal say in governing.
As we mark the holiday weekend with loved ones, we should recall that our present freedoms trace back to those groundbreaking words composed 240 years ago—and we ought to honor the inheritance the Founding Fathers left us.