Today we celebrate the 235th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the document that set into motion the creation of the United States of America.

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…

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…

The Declaration was signed by 56 men, including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams.  They recognized that basic human rights do not originate with the government: “Governments are instituted among men” to secure these rights, not create them — and certainly not to restrict them.

As we celebrate what the Founders recognized as God-given freedoms, take a moment to remember the security and protection of these freedoms provided by the US armed forces around the globe every day.

As the Air Force leadership recently said,

Let us give thanks for the vision of our Founding Fathers and for those who have pledged to serve our country.

While you’re at it, take some time to read the Declaration of Independence and our other founding documents.  Links to the National Archives can be found here.