Happy Independence Day!
As Republicans, on this annual celebration of nationhood, we remember the Second Continental Congress adopted the full and formal Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. While the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, most of the other signers signed it on August 2, 1776. There are 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence; they were all technically British citizens at the time they signed the documents.
Who Wrote It
A Committee of Five was appointed on June 11, 1776, to draft the formal statement for the colonies’ case for independence. The committee members were John Adams (MA), Benjamin Franklin (PA), Robert R. Livingston (NY), Roger Sherman (CT), and Thomas Jefferson (VA) known as the primary author. Freedom isn’t free, and never was that more evident than in July 1776 for the signers. They risked their lives and wealth as signers of the Declaration of Independence. Richard Stockton was the only signer to recant his signature after he was captured by British soldiers.
People Who Influenced
Many people are credited for their influence on the Declaration of Independence. John Locke (b. 1632, d. 1704), was a British philosopher, Oxford academic and medical researcher. Locke writes of the law of nature:
“The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges everyone: an reason which is that law, teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions…(Treatises II.2.6)”
Locke speaks of a government who derives its power from the people. Many scholars believe that Thomas Jefferson derived some of the most famous ideas in the Declaration of Independence from John Locke. John Locke made the statement that all men have the right to pursue “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Property.” In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote the statement that all men have the rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
The Pima County Republican Party stands proudly today in celebration of our nation, the wisdom of our forefathers, the strength of our people, and our continued hope for the future.
Join me. Celebrate freedom!