Happy Independence Day!

No more kings.

Or as Thomas Jefferson put it:

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.

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...

More on the Declaration of Independence can be found on the National Archives website.  Some more fun information and facts about Independence Day and the various historical figures who made it happen in 1776 can be found here.

What the signers of the Declaration risked in affixing their names was tremendous.  Many were landed gentry, several very wealthy land and business owners, risking family fortune and safety and comfort for freedom to govern.  How many who are similarly situated would risk so much today?

None of the Founders were perfect -- they were human beings with very human foibles.  But what they achieved in taking this first step was nothing short of a revolution.  History:  it is still awesome.

Thank you, Schoolhouse Rock!