A Very Good Day Indeed

I attended Freedom Fest at Joint Base Lewis-McChord today, and as I observed soldiers and civilians interacting as they looked at classic cars or listened to live music, I was reminded of the words that one of my favorite presidents – Calvin Coolidge – stated in a July 5,1926 speech on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence.

“It was not because it was proposed to establish a new nation, but because it was proposed to establish a nation on new principles, that July 4, 1776, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest day in history.  Great ideas do not burst upon the world unannounced.  They are reached by a gradual development over a length of time usually proportionate to their importance.

This is especially true of the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence.  Three very definite propositions were set out in its preamble regarding the nature of mankind and therefore of government.  These were the doctrine that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that therefore the source of the just powers of government must be derived from the consent of the governed.”

Coolidge’s words capture what I believe is at the heart of the Declaration of Independence and why I think service to this nation, state or city are vital to our democracy’s survival.