Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull, 1817
When the signers of the Declaration of Independence affixed their names to that document, those words meant exactly that. If their rebellion failed, they would indeed have lost all those things they pledged and more. How could they imagine that a squabbling group of semi-autonomous colonies could ever take on the full might of the British Empire? And how did they think they could convince their fellow colonists to commit what would amount to treason should they lose... an outcome which seemed all too likely, given the disparity between the two sides?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.
- The Declaration of Independence
Simple. They knew it was the right thing to do. Therefore, they found a way, or made one where none could be found. And that is the difference between men and great men.
A mere two hundred and thirty-one years later, too many of us find it too difficult to do what's right, in the small things as well as large. If we had to fight the Revolutionary War today, how many of our fellow Americans would compromise with, appease and surrender to such a superior force? For that matter, how many people today want to give in to a band of fanatical 7th-century thugs because the task of standing up to them seems too hard to bear? Thomas Jefferson certainly refused to back down in the face of Islamic terrorism in the early 19th century... so why should we?
The United States was not created in a single day. The Fourth of July merely marks its beginning. If the rebellion had failed, if the separate states had been unable to reach a compromise after winning, or if the fledgling country had not established itself as a serious naval power in our earliest battles against Muslim piracy, we would not be celebrating the birth of this nation today.
And if we weaken and waver now, if we surrender at this point after fighting and winning against so many enemies over the years, how long will we be able to keep "our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor?"
