On July 4, 1776, fifty-six delegates to the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence, changing the world emphatically and manifesting the idea that liberty is granted by God, not men. More than two centuries later, men and women from all over the world still come to the United States to seek the freedoms and opportunities not available in their home countries. Some have fled tyrannies to come to a nation conceived in liberty. A liberty that was further ratified with the Constitution, adopted in 1787 and the Bill of Rights in 1791. A liberty that has preserved our nation through wars, internal conflict and disastrous economic times. Even in our darkest hours, Americans have maintained our liberty, recognizing that whatever adversities life may bring, the liberty granted by God and claimed by our Founders would remain. Or would it.

It’s hard to imagine that a concept of liberty that has survived for two hundred […] → Keep reading