Read the entire article from Human Events … Newt explains the historic meaning of our Declaration of Independence:
The article may be a week old but the principles are timeless.
Declaration of Independence.
The Legacy of the Declaration of Independence
by Newt Gingrich
This Sunday, July 4th, we will once again celebrate our nation’s founding, marking the day in 1776 that the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence was intended to be an official statement explaining why the 13 American colonies had declared their independence from Great Britain. In the years following its passage, however, this statement of principles about the rights of man grew to mean much more.
America became the only country in history founded, as Leo Strauss explained, “in explicit opposition to Machiavellian principles,” by which he meant crass, power politics. Instead, America was founded on a set of clearly expressed “self-evident” truths. Thomas Jefferson said the Declaration was “intended to be an expression of the American mind,” and indeed, no document since has so succinctly and so eloquently spelled out the spirit of America.
- “…all men are created equal”
- “…endowed by their Creator”
- “…the pursuit of happiness”
