Today is July 4th, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In it, the colonies that would become the United States of America laid out why they felt impelled to rebel against Great Britain and form their own nation. According to that document, the rebellion, and thus the basis for the existence of the United States, rests foremost upon the recognition that there are self-evident truths about human existence: rights to life, liberty, and happiness that no human authority can or should deny.
America was founded on principles to which it has always had difficulty living up.
