As we approach Independence Day, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich uses his latest Human Events column to discuss the ongoing importance of the 234-year-old 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.
Our country has evolved out of the timeless truths expressed in the Declaration of Independence to develop a distinct character and set of values that distinguishes us from even other Western democracies.
Follow the link to read Gingrich’s take on the phrases “all men are created equal” and the “pursuit of happiness.”
