The Principles of a Nation

Guiding tenets of freedom

On July 4, 2026, the U.S. plans to celebrate its Semiquincentennial, or Quarter Millennial. This day will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. With that document, the Second Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies announced that it had declared independence from England on July 4, 1776. Here we are, 250 years later.

The original goal of this newsletter, “2026,” was to help ensure we, as a country, made it to America’s 250th anniversary intact. Now that that day is nearly upon us, this is a good time to reflect on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence. Why is it still very much pertinent today?

The Declaration’s meaning

The Declaration of Independence summarized the American colonialists’ grievances against the king of England. It officially dissolved the U.S. colonies’ political ties with Great Britain and declared the colonies free and independent states. But even more importantly, it recorded for posterity the foundational principles of the United States of America.

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.¹

Those words enshrined in the Declaration of Independence lay out the key principles of the United States. The U.S. Constitution was later written to describe the structure of the U.S. government and how it should operate to achieve the principles of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration and the Constitution work together, hand in hand. Neither is complete without the other. The Declaration is the golden apple in the center, while the Constitution provides the frame.²

Why it’s important today

The Declaration of Independence remains very pertinent today. It provides a set of foundational principles that are permanent and transcendent: All humans are born free. They have the equal right to be free from those who would exert mastery over them. They also have the equal right to be free from government oppression. These rights are unalienable rights given by God—not by government, and not by other people.

Since rights are not given by government, they cannot be taken away by government. Yet, the progressive movement over the past 100 years has tried to do exactly that.

The progressive movement explicitly rejects the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Progressivism argues that we should move away from the principles of the American founding and the original structure of the U.S. government. Progressives aim to step around the limited government, checks and balances, and other measures designed to prevent the undesirable effects of government.

“They knew that if government remained fixed on securing natural rights, government would always be inherently limited,” says Dr. Ronald J. Pestritto, professor of politics at Hillsdale College. But for progressives, placing any limits on the government was totally unacceptable.³

Instead, progressives have successfully pushed for the massive expansion of the scope and size of government. For them, the state determines the rights of individuals, not nature and not God, says Pestritto.⁴

We have now moved full circle. America started as a colony controlled by a monarchy. It then became a free nation with its citizens exercising self-government. Today, however, we have regressed to a pre-Constitutional condition in which the government trumps the rights of individuals. Ironically, this was done in the name of “progress.”

What it really stands for

As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, it’s important to reflect on what the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, signifies.

…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…Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

People are born with natural rights and have the equal right to be free from human and government control. What are “just powers”? Our Founding Fathers believed that governments are just only if they have the consent of the governed.⁵

In total, the eternal truths in the document speak about what it means to be a free and self-governing nation. The Declaration of Independence provides the key guiding principles for the United States. From these principles spring forth the real America—the shining city on a hill, a beacon of freedom, hope and opportunity.

With renewed appreciation, we, as individuals and as a nation, can once again use these principles as a compass going forward.

1. The Declaration of Independence: The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America. Signed in Congress July 4,1776.

2. Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution. Hillsdale College Online Courses. hillsdale.edu

3. See footnote 2.

4. See footnote 2.

5. See footnote 2.