Declaration of Independence:

7 Major Components

As we celebrate Independence Day lets take a quick look at how things have changed since 1776. For example, one of the key issues facing the 2012 election will be Obamacare. Putting all other arguments aside lets look at simply the size of the bill, all 2,700 pages of it.

By comparison The King James Bible has 1888 pages, The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, which is a 900 year history of the empire, contains 1312 pages and War and Peace has a mere 1296 pages. And lets turn to a more modern work of art, that is if you consider 50 some years modern, Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” is a measly 1078 pages.

This incredible document has about 1400 pages. I’m sorry; I’m confused it has about 1400 words. That’s right, words not pages. The Founding Fathers had the temerity to write one of the most important documents in history on, well, one page. What were they thinking? Perhaps the words pontificate and special interest had not yet been coined, just a thought.

So let’s take a closer look at the Declaration of Independence. I’ve found a series of wonderful videos on youtube with in-depth explanations. A gentleman by the name of Craig Seibert has about 6 videos and links to sites that are very interesting and understandable for the average citizen. I will link to these videos but I want to use his explanation to hopefully give you a clearer understanding of this document. Consider this a book report of Mr. Seibert’s video. Because quite frankly, I’m not this smart.

Look at this picture. As you can see, I’ve broken it into three sections. Of the almost 1400 words, about 400 are about the principals and beliefs and are split between the opening and closing. That leaves roughly a 1000 words to explain 25 of the abuses by King George III and the reasons for declaring independence.

The entire document can be broken into 7 components.

The first section has four components. The opening sentence is the reason for the document. When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

The second component in the opening section is the SELF EVIDENT TRUTHS. 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.

But in the time of our founding Happiness had a deeper meaning which was according to Mr. Seibert “that the individual would have the freedom to use their time, talent and recourses to pursue the directions in life that they believed would bring them the most satisfaction and would benefit their family, friends and fellow man and future generations the most.”

The third component is the purpose of government. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

The fourth is the reason for the declaration. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

The most important element is the self-evident truths, 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.

The middle section is a list of grievances against the King that had troubled the colonies over the previous ten years. I’ve pulled out just a few to see if any of them seem just a little familiar
1. Unfair taxation (Individual Mandates for Healthcare)
2. Creating new government departments with officials that harass the people (Can you say Regulatory Czar?)
3. Cutting off trade (Pending free trade agreements)
4. Disallowing or not hearing any appeals for justice ( How about Black Panthers at polling places or illegal sanctuary cities)

Just to name a few.

Now the fifth component comes in the third section. This is the declaration statement. We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world (aka God) for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states;

The sixth component outlines the rights of the sovereign states
1-and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;
2-and that as free and independent States, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce,
3-and to do all other acts and things which independent States may of right do.

The Founders referred to the State of Great Britain and then to themselves as free and independent States. Not a collective America but the individual States much the same way Europe is divided into sovereign States such as France, Italy etc.

And finally the seventh component is the pledge first to God, And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, then to each other. We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

On July 4th John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence, a copy was made up and it was announced to the people and on August 2, 1776 the remaining of the 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence and made it official.

You now know more than 90% of Americans about the Declaration of Independence, however in 1776, 90% of the people had this understanding.

We need to remember that the 4th of July is more than just a day off from work or a time to eat too many hotdogs. Thomas Jefferson said it best: “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”

To view the entire video click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS-tshQ9sys&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

also visit http://www.july4thfreedom.com/

Property Laws… for now.

“The Right of property is the guardian of every other Right, and to deprive the people of this, is in fact to deprive them of their Liberty” Dr. Arthur Lee, 1774 from an article entitled “An Appeal to the Justice and Interests of the People of Great Britain”

We are a nation of laws… period, end of sentence. Thank you and have a nice day.

Ok I’m not done although I’m sure some are tired of me saying we are a nation of laws, however that’s what sets us apart from all other nations.

Therefore let’s take a look at property laws. The World English Dictionary says this, property: something of value, either tangible, such as land, or intangible, such as patents, copyrights, etc

Property is not just things, it’s more than that, it’s our ideas, our thoughts our money everything that belongs to us. And no one has the right to take any of it away.

“To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries”; The United States Constitution Article 1 Section 8.

At my first job in a corporate office I had to sign a “Thought Clause”. This simply meant if I had any great ideas while this company employed me, the company owned my ideas. I of course used this as an excuse to be completely thoughtless, and I had a contract to prove it. But seriously, the only way the company could take my ideas was for me to give them the rights.

James Madison said this “In a word, as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights.

Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions.
Where there is an excess of liberty, the effect is the same, tho' from an opposite cause.

Government is instituted to protect property of every sort; as well that which lies in the various rights of individuals, as that which the term particularly expresses. This being the end of government, that alone is a just government, which impartially secures to every man, whatever is his own.”
March 29, 1792 (Source) The Founders’ Constitution Chapter 16, Document 23.

John Locke put it like this: “Government has no other end, but the preservation of property.”

The United States is a Representative Republic. Our Nation is not only founded on laws but on hiring people to decide and enforce the laws. Where do you think this idea came from? In my quest to remind you of our roots, might I suggest perhaps:

Exodus 18:17-26 (NIV 1984)17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” 24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.”

It’s right after this in the Bible in Exodus 19 that Moses goes to Mount Sinai and God gives him the Ten Commandments. So within two chapters we see the representative government and the law.

As I started thinking about the law and property rights I thought of the Ten Commandments, which prompted me to watch the movie. It’s been years and years since I had seen it. Towards the end after Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with the tablets, he finds that the people have lost faith and are worshiping the golden calf. In the movie Dathan tells Moses the people no longer need him or his laws because they are now free. Moses gets angry with him and yells, “without the law there is no freedom!” and then throws the tablets at them, the earth opens up and there is no more problem with Dathan.

The law is what protects our property. It’s what allows us to leave our homes with a reasonable expectation that when we come back all of our belongings will be where we left them. It’s what allows justice to be blind. To be judged on facts and not opinions. Even if we may not like all of the laws, if we know what the law is it gives us the boundaries to live freely within them. The protection of our property is what allows us to prosper. If we can keep our property or another way of saying it may be, if we can keep the fruits of our labor, it’s our incentive to be productive. The truth is and the statistics prove the more fruit we can keep the more we will produce. Unfortunately most of what we deal with today is not laws but regulations. This is a problem; the government is slowly but surely nudging us into compliance without our even knowing. Taking more and more of our fruit through fees and licenses, etc. That’s why it is so important for us to do our homework and understand the Constitution and the laws of our country.

I’ll close with this quote: “The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings capable of law, where there is no law, there is no freedom”
John Locke “Two Treatises of Government” 1679.

America's Great Awakening

America’s First Great Awakening started around 1734 and lasted through 1750. One of the stars of the time was George Whitefield. He was a small man with a big voice. The newspapers reported that he preached to thousands of people including his good friend Benjamin Franklin. But once instead of listening to Whitefield Franklin started to walk around the field to see if he could hear him. When Franklin got all the way to the back of the crowd he said, "Imagining then a semicircle, of which my distance should be the radius, and that it were filled with auditors to each of whom I allowed two square feet, I computed that he might be heard by more than thirty thousand. This reconciled me to the newspaper accounts of his having preached to twenty-five thousand in the fields."

It has been recorded that 80 percent of Americans physically heard Whitefield preach. His most famous teaching was the “Father Abraham” speech. Another good friend of his, John Adams, recorded the speech and recounted it to Thomas Jefferson like this: He [Whitefield] began: "Father Abraham," with his hands and eyes gracefully directed to the heavens (as I have more than once seen him): "Father Abraham, whom have you there with you? Have you Catholics?" "No." "Have you Protestants?" "No." "Have you Churchmen?" "No." "Have you Dissenters?" "No." "Have you Presbyterians?" "No." "Quakers?" "No." "Anabaptists?" "No." "Whom have you there? Are you alone?" "No." "My brethren, you have the answer to all these questions in the words of my next text: 'He who feareth God and worketh righteousness, shall be accepted of Him'" [Acts 10:35 KJV]. God help us all to forget having names and to become Christians in deed and in truth."

This message had a profound effect on Americans and at the opening of the First Congress on September 6th 1774, someone suggested they start with prayer. This was met with resistance. John Adams explains: “It was opposed by Mr. [John] Jay of New York and Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina because we were so divided in religious sentiments – some Episcopalians, some Quakers, some Anabaptists, some Presbyterians, and some Congregationalists – that we could not join in the same act of worship.” But Samuel Adams, a devout Christian, broke through the religious objections when he "arose and said he was no bigot, and could hear a prayer from a gentleman of piety and virtue." They then proceeded to pray.

If you remember previously I explained the Tytler Cycle of History that starts with bondage and goes to spiritual faith. Once people have spiritual faith they have courage as it says in 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” With this great awakening people began to understand that their rights came from God. Not from one church or another, or from the King, or the government. It was an individual relationship with God. The more people understood their individual rights the more they wanted freedom for themselves and for others. First for the Colonies from England and then eventually for slaves.

From http://www.wallbuilders.com I found this: The spiritual nature of America’s resistance was so clear even to the British that in the British Parliament: Sir Richard Sutton read a copy of a letter relative to the government of America from a [Crown-appointed] governor in America to the Board of Trade [in Great Britain] showing that. . . . If you ask an American, “Who is his master?” He will tell you he has none – nor any governor but Jesus Christ.

On www.timetracks.com I found the following quote: On April 18, 1775, John Adams and John Hancock were at the home of Reverend Jonas Clarke. British General Gage was pleading with the colonists to lay down their arms and all would be forgiven, except for Samuel Adams and John Hancock. That same night, Paul Revere arrived to warn them of the approaching Redcoats. The next morning British Major Pitcairn shouted to an assembled regiment of Minutemen; "Disperse, ye villains, lay down your arms in the name of George the Sovereign King of England." The immediate response of Reverend Clarke was:

"We recognize no Sovereign but God and no King but Jesus.

I think it’s time for the next Great Awakening.

Davy & Horatio
February 6, 2011

Today, February 6, 2011 would have been the 100th Birthday of Ronald Reagan. One of his many quotes is: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

So with that, I’d like to tell you the story of Davy Crockett, you know the king of the wild frontier, and a constituent by the name of Horatio Bunce. Like many stories from history there is controversy as to the validity of this tale. If it is true it’s a great story, if it isn’t it’s still a great story. The short version is that as Davy was going throughout his district in preparation to start a reelection campaign he came upon a fellow working the fields. He introduced himself and said he was a politician. The farmer was Horatio Bunce and said he knew who Davy was and he didn’t want to waste either of their time. Horatio explained that even though he had voted for Davy in the past he would not be voting for him this time.

This caught Davy off guard and he asked why? "Well Colonel, it is hardly worthwhile to waste time or words upon it. I do not see how it can be mended, but you gave a vote last winter which shows that either you have not capacity to understand the Constitution, or that you are wanting in the honesty and firmness to be guided by it. In either case you are not the man to represent me”, said Horatio. “But an understanding of the constitution different from mine I cannot overlook, because the Constitution, to be worth anything, must be held sacred, and rigidly observed in all its provisions.” He went on to explain how Davy had voted to give a group of fire victims $20,000 in relief and this vote was unconstitutional. “The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be entrusted to man”

“If you have the right to give at all; and as the Constitution neither defines charity nor stipulates the amount, you are at liberty to give to any and everything which you may believe, or profess to believe, is a charity and to any amount you may think proper. You will very easily perceive what a wide door this would open for fraud and corruption and favoritism, on the one hand, and for robbing the people on the other. 'No, Colonel, Congress has no right to give charity.'

Horatio went on to explain that if each member of Congress wanted to give a weeks salary toward the fire victims they would have raised about the same amount of money. But instead of giving their own money, they took the peoples money and disbursed it, but the money was “not yours to give”.

"'So you see, Colonel, you have violated the Constitution in what I consider a vital point. It is a precedent fraught with danger to the country, for when Congress once begins to stretch its power beyond the limits of the Constitution; there is no limit to it, and no security for the people."

To read the entire story click here: http://notyourstogive.com/

Our modern day Congress and entitlements have come a long way from this story. According to a column written on January 26, 2011 by economist Dr. Walter E. Williams today’s entitlements account for nearly 60 percent of federal spending. Dr. Williams writes: “Everyone who receives government largesse and special favors deems his needs as vital, deserving, proper and in the national interest. It is entirely unreasonable to expect a politician to honor and obey our Constitution and in the process commit political suicide. What's even worse for our nation is that voters ousting a politician who'd refuse to bring, say, aid to higher education back to his constituents is perfectly rational. If, for example, he's a Virginia politician and doesn't bring higher education grants back to his constituents, it doesn't mean Virginian taxpayers will pay a lower income tax. All that it means is that Marylanders will get the money instead. Once legalized theft begins, it pays for everyone to participate. Those who don't will be losers.”

Dr. Williams continues: “That's the nation's dilemma. The most important job for people who want to spare our nation from economic collapse is not that of persuading politicians to do the right thing but to convince our fellow Americans to respect the limits of our Constitution. In his speech to Virginia's ratifying convention, James Madison said, "Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it; no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it."

You can find Dr. Williams column here: http://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2011/01/26/can_our_nation_be_saved

Our ability to rely on God rather than the government has been blinded by “compassion”.

It says in Matt 22:34-40 (34) Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. (35) One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: (36) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (37) Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (38) This is the first and greatest commandment. (39) And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (40) All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I realize I’m speaking in generalized terms and preaching to the choir, but as a nation we have replaced God with the government. And instead of ‘loving your neighbor as yourself’ we have allowed the government to love them for us.

Our Republic was designed as a nation of laws. I’m concerned we’re quickly becoming a nation of entitlements. It is the lack of respect for our laws that open the doors for entitlements.

Abraham Lincoln said: “Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap; let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in primers, spelling-books, and in almanacs; let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation.”


To this I say, Amen!

The Law’s of Nature and of Nature's God

I have spent most of my life in total oblivion to what our country really stood for. Like most American’s I was busy raising a family, working on a career and just trying to get through life one challenge at a time. I believed in America and what she stands for but I never really understood what that meant until a few years ago. Then one day the Lord removed the scales from my eyes. It was more that he ripped off the blinders and I was staring into a bright light and I thought, “Holy moly, how did we get here?” at that moment I began to pay attention. I started reading everything I could get my hands on and tried to learn what this country is really about. I regret it took me so long to wake up, but I’m grateful that I have finally awakened.

What I don’t know still out weighs what I have recently learned but I’m moving forward. I believe one of the most important facts we as Americans’ should learn is about "The Laws of Nature and Nature’s God". This phrase first appeared to me in the Declaration of Independence. The beginning reads as follows: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

The Law’s of Nature and of Nature’s God. So what exactly does that mean? To me it means that there is a God and He is the God of all Nature and that there are certain laws that can only come from Him.

The Declaration of Independence continues with: “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.”

Let’s look at this sentence. “We hold these truths to be sefl-evident”. So the truth is self-evident, this would mean that first, it’s true and second it doesn’t need further explaination. It is containing its own evidence or proof without need of further demonstration.

“That all men are created equal”-from the moment we are born, we are all equal. We are not guaranteed equal opportunities or circumstances but if you are born an American you have all the same rights under the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God. This was especially important to the colonist because England was under a monarchy system. Your place in life was determined by who your parents were. You could be a prince or a pauper and there was very little you could do to change your station in life. America was about to change that.

“That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”-That they, meaning all men and women, are given from the Creator certain unalienable rights. Unalienable: Rights that are not transferable to another or capable of being repudiated.

“That among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Life, no one can take our life without consequence. Liberty, the government doesn’t make us free, we are born free and that can not be taken away. And last, Happiness. The original text said property instead of happiness, but because of slavery, the founders changed it to Happiness. The founders understood that slavery was wrong and would one day be abolished so they did what they could at the time to eleminate the advancement of slavery.

There is an excellent video on youtube by a gentelman name Craig Seibert called "Understanding the Declaration of Independence."
You can find it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS-tshQ9sys

As he explains in the video when we think of Happiness today it’s more of a hedonistic view: which means the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good. But in the time of our founding, Happiness had a deeper meaning which was, according to Mr. Seibert, “that the individual would have the freedom to use their time, talent and recourses to pursue the directions in life that they believed would bring them the most satisfaction and would benefit their family, friends and fellow man and future generations the most.”

It was about individual responsibility and individual rights. Once we understand that those rights come from “Nature’s God” we can begin to understand that it does not come from government. The problem with getting our rights from the government is this, if they can give them to us, they can take them away. The rights offered in the Declaration of Independence come from “Nature’s God” and are unalienable. Just as a reminder according to the dictionary, unalienable means rights that are not transferable to another or capable of being repudiated. I can’t give you my rights and you can’t take mine to use for yourself. They have been given to each of us by God. Only in America can we choose how we will use or abuse the “Laws of Nature and of Natures God”.