The American Declaration of Independence (declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain), which as all Americans know but perhaps not all my readers of other nationalities, was adopted by Congress on this day in 1776.
The preamble of that declaration says, "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."
Even if Thomas Jefferson's words are heavily influenced by religion and natural law philosophy they, to this day, express what those of us that believe in a democratic society based on full and equal human rights for all citizens still hold true.
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I wish all my American readers a very happy Independence Day!
Happy Independence Day guys!
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if our American friends would remember also some key dates related to our continent (Europe), let's see what will happen with the storming of the Bastille whose historic and symbolic value is certainly not lower than the Independence Day :-)
ReplyDeleteHeloq