Celebrate a nation united by freedom

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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.”

The summer of 1776 was scorching hot in Philadelphia with the high humidity typical of the region in the summer months. Despite the stifling summer heart, the members of the Continental Congress gathered behind closed doors and windows and over the course of four months argued and debated, and ultimately, 56 of them signed the Declaration of Independence which became the the primary building block for the United States of America.

The words written 248 years ago are just as relevant today as they were when penned by Thomas Jefferson so many years ago.

The memoirs of the Founding Fathers speak of the disagreements and challenges of taking the fledgling steps of a new nation. The first shots in the War for Independence had been fired a year earlier. The blood of patriots had been spilled in the commons of Lexington and Concord and acts of rebellion against a far distant and unresponsive crown were growing.

While musket shots and Minute Men may seem far away, when measured in human lifetimes and generations, America is barely out of its infancy with just seven generations separating the founders from the youth of today and only four measured by the “threescore years and ten” promised to men in Psalm 90:10.

The challenges that faced the colonists those many years ago are equally as relevant today. Americans chafe under rules and taxes passed by distant and seemingly unresponsive leaders far away. America faces would-be tyrants who would claim to be above the law. America also faces division.

In the distance of history, it is easy to overlook that there were many who opposed independence from England. America, even at its infancy, was a nation divided.

Yet, even with the division America endured, and prospered. Over the decades since, America has faced challenges and attacks, both from without and within. America has been, and remains, a beacon of hope for all the world, a place where the oppressed dream of freedom and of new beginnings.

America stands strongest when it stands united with people of every creed and color, coming together and setting aside their differences in the recognition that indeed “all men are created equal.”

This week Americans celebrate the birth of the United States with President John Adams’ command of “Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.”

While Americans may disagree on many things, Independence Day is a very real reminder that we remain united under a common idea.

Central Wisconsin Publications Editorial Board consists of publisher Kris O’Leary and Star-News editor Brian Wilson