On this day of celebration it is fitting that we recall what it is that we cherish about freedom.  Our desires are many, while our choices are few.  But in the same spirit in which our forebears gathered together and made known what they valued, it is worthwhile for us to restate our values today, and ask whether we are still being true to them.  

On this date two hundred forty years ago, Thomas Jefferson penned, and 55 of his colleagues signed, the most heart-felt words to ever grace the pages of history:   

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…And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.  

These words surpass in grandeur, in purpose, and in solemnity everything contained in our Constitution.  And that is because they give the Constitution its life, its purpose, and its direction.  The core values expressed so eloquently by Jefferson are the glue that holds our Constitution together; they transcend all our political differences; and they give us a connection to the universe as surely as if they had come to us from Heaven itself.  I stand in awe of these words, as I am sure many others do also.  And make no mistake about my resolve:  I am prepared to give my life, my meager holdings, and my sacred honor in support of these values for as long as I have life in my body, and I have control over my thoughts, and I have a semblance of right and wrong in my soul. We can change the Constitution, but our values are forever.  

We need only ask what good is the freedom to worship or to assemble if we do not acknowledge that we are all equal before God; what does it mean to have the right to bear arms if we kill one another with them but do not use them to protect life, liberty, and our pursuit of happiness; and what does it matter if we proclaim our independence if we are not willing to defend that independence with our own lives?  It is our Declaration of Independence that proclaims all these values; that lays them bare for all to see; and that stands above the best of all the laws that follow. 

On this day when 43 million residents will travel to the far corners of America—perhaps farther—may we each pause for a moment and reflect on this single day, and thank those who paid for our right to freely travel, and to greet our friends and relatives in love and comfort; and may we honor those who gave their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor so that we might carry these same values safely in our hearts, in our minds, and in our souls; and may divine Providence grant us the strength to protect them today, tomorrow, and forever.